
Book >D y 

Gopyiightl^" 



COF^EGIIT DEPOSIT. 



FLAT 

MACHINE KNITTING 

AND FABRICS 



By H. D. BUCK 

In charge of Knitting in 

The Textile School 

of the City of New York 

Author of articles on 
Knitting in Textile World 



New York 

BRAGDON, LORD & NAGLE COMPANY, Publishers 

334 Fourth Avenue 






Copyrighted, 1921 
Bv H. D. Buck. 



g)CI.A624:c!18 



^^^ -7 B2\ 



TO MY WIFE 

Elizabeth Wilson Buck 

who has encouraged and assisted me, 

this book is affectionately dedicated 



PREFACE 

When the City of New York established a textile school in 
1919 I was asked to take charge of the class in knitting. 
Although very busy in manufacturing lines, I decided to give 
up a part of my time to this educational work, believing it to 
be my duty to do my bit toward helping to fill a long felt want 
in the industry. 

There being no suitable text book available, particularly on 
the elementary subjects, I was obliged to prepare my own 
material for the instruction of the students. The results of 
this work are contained in this volume, which is devoted to 
the various types of flat latch needle machines. It is my 
intention to follow this with other volumes covering circular 
latch needle machines, spring needle machines, etc., with their 
products. 

The various chapters of this work have been published in 
the knitting technical section of TEXTILE WORLD but I 
believe their usefulness will be increased by this revision and 
publication in more convenient book form. 

One of the greatest needs for the advancement of the knit- 
ting industry to the position it should occupy in the world of 
textiles is available technical information, and it is hoped that 
this volume with the ones to follow will supply, in some degree, 
this need. 



H. D. BUCK. 



Woodhaven, L. I., New York, 
September 1, 1921. 



CONTENTS 



CHAPTER I. Development of the Industry 9 

How Cloth is Constructed — Study of Loop. 

CHAPTER II. Latch Needle Knitting 16 

Making Jersey Cloth on the Lamb Type of Machine. 

CHAPTER III. Rib Fabric Group 26 

How Stitch is Made for Different Cloths. 



CHAPTER IV. The Rack Stitch 35 

Making Shaped Collars — Opportunities in Designing 
Fabrics. 

CHAPTER V. The Double Lock Flat Machine 44 

How Different Stitches Are Formed. 

CHAPTER VI. Fashioned Goods 51 

CHAPTER VII. Automatic Flat Latch Needle Machines 57 

Single Lock. 

CHAPTER VIIL Automatic Widening Machine. 78 

Explanation of Mechanism Used. 

CHAPTER IX. Purl Stitch, or Links and Links Machine 86 

For Hand or Manual Power. 

CHAPTER X. Designs on Plain Purl Stitch Machines ' 97 

Automatic Jacquard Type — Details of Jacquard- 
Designing on Jacquard Machine. 

.CHAPTER XL Flat Latch Needle Automatic Narrowing Machine.. 113 

CHAPTER XII. The Flat Jacquard Machine 129 

How It Differs From the Purl Stitch Jacquard 
Machine — Type of Fabric Produced — Methods of 
Needle Selection — Difference Between Single Jacquard 
and Double Jacquard — Explanation of Design and 
Pattern Cards. 

INDEX 143 



FLAT MACHINE KNITTING AND FABRICS 

CHAPTER I. 

Development of the Industry — How Cloth is 
Constructed — Study of Loop 

MACHINE knitting is a much older industry than most 
people realize, the first knitting machine having been 
invented in England about the year 1590. In spite of 
this early start the knitting industry has not made as great 
progress as some other lines of manufacturing. The great 
obstacle to its progress, in comparison with that of its rival, 
the weaving industry, appears to have been the slow realization 
by people in general, and the producers of knitted goods in 
particular, of the possibilities of the looped fabric and the 
diversified uses to which it is suited. 

For 250 years or more after the invention of the knitting 
machine, knitted fabrics were in a general way supposed to 
be fit only for hosiery. Then some enterprising knitter woke 
up to the fact that knitted fabric was the ideal fabric for 
underclothing to be worn next to the body, and there was 
developed a great industry in knitted underwear. 

In very recent years, we have begun to realize that this 
fabric is suitable for outer garments of various kinds, making 
up into beautiful, comfortable and serviceable articles of 
apparel, and the industry is surging ahead by leaps and bounds 
on this line. The principal reasons for this are : first, the mak- 
ing of knit fabric does not require, in its present state of 
development, the technical skill required for the making of 
woven fabrics, notwithstanding the fact that many people not 
connected with the industry look upon machine knitting as a 
most mysterious operation ; second, the initial investment for 
a given production is not nearly so great as for woven fabrics ; 
third, knitted fabrics can be produced, yard for yard, or pound 
for pound, cheaper than woven fabrics. 

Knit Fabric Construction 

Knitting is the art of constructing fabric or cloth with 
knitting needles by an interlocking of loops. The essential 



10 FLAT MACHINE KNITTING AND FABRICS 

element of knitting is the loop, for the whole fabric is con- 
structed from a succession of loops. 

A loop is a very small length of thread, or yarn, taken at 
some point at a distance from the end and drawn through, or 
around, some object, usually another loop. Obviously this will 
result in two loops. One of these coils around the instrument 
or needle which draws it through and is called the needle loop, 
shown by the letter a in Fig. 1. The other loops around the 
object or previous loop through which it was drawn, and is 
called the sinker loop, indicated by b, b in Fig. 1. These two 
loops, not two complete loops, but rather one full needle loop 
and two halves of the sinker loop, make a stitch, as indicated 
by the shaded portion of Fig. 1 from c to c. 

A course is any number of 
loops lying side by side in a line 
crosswise of the fabric, as in- 
dicated along dotted lines a, a, 
Figs. 2 and 3. 

A wale is any number of 
loops in a line succeeding one 
another lengthwise of the fabric, 
as indicated along dotted lines 
b, b, Figs. 2 and 3. 

CrossvN^ise of the fabric is 
the direction in which the yarn 
f/'a I feeds while the fabric is in the 

Sinker Loop, Needle prOCeSS of COUStrUCtioU, form- 

Loop and Stitch. jj^g loops adjoining one another, 

or the same direction as the 
course. Lengthwise of the fabric is the direction in which the 
fabric is built up by drawing one loop through another, or the 
same direction as the wale. Therefore the width of the fabric 
is restricted by the number of loops or needles used as a base, 
while the length of the fabric has no restrictions other than 
the supply of material or the will of the knitter. Rib is an 
alternative expression for wale, but is applicable more particu- 
larly where the fabric has a wale on both sides, in which case 
it is shown as a rib fabric. Where a cloth has a wale on one 
side only it is known as a jersey fabric, and is also sometimes 
called flat goods. Rib fabrics will be taken up later for .it is 
my purpose to deal only with jersey or flat fabrics until the 
theory of knitting is thoroughly explained. 




KNIT FABRIC CONSTRUCTION 



11 



«^, — 




C3. 




—a. 



f/^,Z. 



Fj.J 



Wale and Course, Face. 



Wale and Course, Back. 



A Study of the Loop 

A study of the loop is very important to those who wish to 
acquire a knowledge of knitting, for the whole construction of 
the knitted fabric is from loops. 
In fact, knitted fabric is com- 
monly referred to as looped 
fabric. 

Fig. 4 shows the position or 
form into which the yarn is 
drawn to form the loops of a 
plain jersey or flat fabric. Fig. 
5 shows a second course of loops 
drawn through the first. Fig. 6 
shows a third course. It is 
quite evident that in order to 
draw each of these courses of 
loops through the preceding one 
there must be something to sus- 
tain or hold the preceding 
course of loops as well as the 
new loops during the period in 
which the new ones are being 
drawn through. There must 

also be something on which to Formation of Loops. 




12 FLAT MACHINE KNITTING AND FABRICS 

start the first row or course of loops for, as stated before, a 
loop cannot be made without something of stability to draw it 
through. 

It is very important that the reader get firmly fixed in his 
mind the curves of the loops and the most simple methods of 
forming them, as he can then more readily understand the 
necessary movements made on a machine. For this reason 
I will first take up the most primitive method of knitting; i.e., 
hand knitting. 

Simplest Method of Forming Loops 

The needles used for hand knitting are straight rods of 
steel, wood, bone or celluloid. Not less than two of these needles 
must be used as indicated in Figs. 7, 8 and 9. To start we take 
the yarn and make a small slip knot or noose, with which we 
are all familiar, slip one needle through the loop thus made and 
draw the yarn up so that it fits around the needle loosely. 





Forming- L/oops by Hand, First Step. 



Forming- Loops by Hand, Second Step. 




Forming Loops by Hand, Completed. 



We now have the corner- 
stone laid. Holding this needle 
in the left hand with the fore- 
finger bearing lightly on the 
loop, we take the other needle 
in the right hand and slip it 
through the loop as in Fig. 7, 
next draw the yarn over the 
end of the right hand needle as 
shown, then draw this needle 
back to the point where it will 
pass the left side of the loop on 



KNIT FABRIC CONSTRUCTION 13 

the right hand needle, but not far enough to allow the yarn 
that was placed over the end to drop off. Then we draw this 
yarn through as indicated in Fig. 8, and we will have the 
second loop. 

At this point in the building up of the fabric we would slip 
the previous loop off the left hand needle and let it hang on 
the newly formed loop on the right hand needle, as in Fig. 9, 
but as we are not as yet building, but only laying the founda- 
tion, we slip this new loop back on the left hand needle, where 
we now have two loops. The next step is to take the right 
hand needle, slip it through the second loop, and proceed as 
with the first, then slip the third loop back on the left hand 
needle. This procedure is repeated until there are sufficient 
loops to make the fabric the width wanted. We now have our 
foundation on which to build. 

Figs, 7, 8 and 9 give a very clear illustration of the method 
of building up the knit fabric by hand knitting after the first 
course. It should be noted, however, that after the right hand 
needle has completed the new course, and the last loop has been 
dropped off the left hand needle, the right hand needle with 
its full number of loops is shifted to the left hand and the 
empty needle then becomes the working needle in the right 
hand. 

This first course of stitches, it should be noted, has the 
needle loop only, the sinker loop being tied in to form a base 
or edge from which to start. Fig. 7 shows the first position to 
form the loops with two needles. One full course is on the 
needle lettered a, while needle 6 is thrust through the first loop 
of the last course and receiving yarn to draw through a new 
loop. 

Fig. 8 shows the new 
loop drawn through, while 
Fig. 9 shows the old or 
preceding loop cast off 
from needle a and hanging 
from the new loop on 
needle 5. 

Figs. 10 and 11 show 
the crochet stitch, which 

is taken up at this point /vy. /O. f.-a /; 

to show its similarity to ■'' 

fViti Vn\Har\ Innn nnrl to Crochet Stitch, Crochet Stitch, 

tne Kmiiea lOOp ana XO catching Thread. Drawing Stitch. 




14 



FLAT MACHINE KNITTING AND FABRICS 



explain the points of difference. The illustrations show very 
plainly the method of forming crochet loops and they also 
show that this stitch is simply a single chain or wale of loops 
succeeding one another. 

When crochet work is to be made into a fabric, the hooked 
needle is pushed through the side of another loop at the point 
at which it is to be joined, and the new loop is drawn through 
this old loop as well as the one on the needle. There is never 
more than one loop used at a time in making this work. 




Back 



face 



Jersey Fabric. 



In the knitted fabric the loops are laid side by side and 
there are a sufficient number of loops being used at all times 
to make the width of fabric desired. The wales are bound 
together by the yarn passing from one loop to the next adjoin- 
ing one, thereby forming the sinker loops which have already 
been explained. 

Figs. 12 and 13 are photographic reproductions of a piece 
of closely knitted jersey or flat goods. The stitch formation 
in this cloth is exactly the same as shown in the line drawings 
at Figs. 2 and 3. 



KNIT FABRIC CONSTRUCTION 15 

It may be well to state here in passing, that all textile fibres 
have more or less flexibility or resiliency, and while this 
characteristic is infinitely small in any single fibre or hair, it 
is quite appreciable when there are hundreds of fibres grouped 
together and twisted into a yarn. This is the reason for the 
elasticity or stretch in knitted fabrics. 

It will be noticed in Fig. 2 that in forming the loops the 
curvature or bend of the thread is gradual and uniform. When 
this yarn is knitted into fabric and both top or needle loop, and 
bottom or sinker loop are attached to or drawn through other 
and like loops, and we pull or stretch the fabric, we draw 
sharp curves or corners in the yarn where it passes around 
the preceding and succeeding loops. When we let go or take 
the strain off the fabric, the natural tendency of the fibre to 
straighten out or take an easier curve brings the fabric back 
into its original position. 

I would suggest that the reader take any straight piece of 
yarn, worsted if available, form a loop, and hold it between 
the thumb and finger of one hand, then press the loop together 
with the thumb and finger of the other hand and demonstrate 
for himself this characteristic of textile fibres. 



ife 



ffe 



CHAPTER 11. 

Latch Needle Knitting — Making Jersey Cloth on the 
Lamb Type of Machine 

ALTHOUGH what is known as the spring beard needle 
was a part of the original invention of the knitting 
machine, and was in use more than 200 years before the 
latch needle was invented, I am taking up the latch needle 
machine first for two reasons. First, because the latch needle 
type of machine is most largely used and is more popular in 

this country today than any 

other type ; and second, because I 

> ^ X '^ o*" believe it can be more easily un- 

,i^i)VVV° /^ A ^ derstood by a person who is not 

<L-4^^^C^ 'i"— ^) familiar with machine knitting. 

In machine knitting of every 

kind there must be a needle for 

every loop, and therein lies the 

fundamental difference between 

y machine and hand knitting. 

Latch Needles. 

Latch needles, however, are con- 
structed entirely different from the straight plain hand needles. 
Fig. 14 shows the construction of the latch needle. It will be 
noted by looking at the latches on the three needles that they 
swing freely on a pin or rivet lengthwise of the needle, but 
have no movement sidewise. 

Types of Latch Needle 

The hook, latch, rivet, cheek, throat and stem are substan- 
tially the same except in size in all latch needles, but the balance 
of the needle may and does vary in shape to a marked degree in 
the various types and makes of machines. Fig. 15 shows many 
of the different types of butts and shanks made, as well as the 
variation in the sizes of the hooks and the thickness of the 
needles, but it should be understood that the type of the butt 
and shank has no bearing on the size of the hook and stem, as 
each type is made in the various sizes and is governed only 
by the size of the yarn to be used. 



LATCH NEEDLE KNITTING— JERSEY CLOTH 17 

Fig. 16 is a very important illustration and the reader 
should study it well and mentally digest every position of the 
needles, for here is shown a complete cycle of the movements 
necessary to make the knitted loop on a latch needle machine 
of the type in which the needles slide back and forth, length- 
wise of the needle, in what are called tricks, or more commonly 
expressed, slots. Probably 95 per cent, or more of the latch 
needle machines in use today are of the type in which the 
needle slides back and forth in slots in the operation of forming 
the loops. 




Some of the Various Types of Latch Needles. 



Explanation of Lamb T3^pe Machine 

A study of Fig. 16 should be made in connection with the 
photographic reproductions. Figs. 17 and 18. Fig. 18 shows 
substantially the whole knitting machine, while Fig. 17 is a 
close-up view of that part of the machine which actually does 
the knitting. Fig, 16 shows the principle used to operate the 
needles. 

This type of machine was invented in 1863 by Isaac W. 
Lamb, a clergyman, and was made possible only by the inven- 
tion of the latch needle in England about 1847. It is very 
simple in construction in the plain models and is the most 
versatile of all the knitting machines, it being possible t(i make 
on it a larger variety of stitches and articles of apparel than 



18 FLAT MACHINE KNITTING AND FABRICS 

on any other machine. It is known as the flat or Lamb type of 
machine. 

It has two flat or straight horizontal plates or beds about 
one-half inch thick by 6 inches wide, the length of which varies 
from 6 inches or less to 60 inches or more, according to the 
width of fabric it is designed to make. These plates are set in 
a frame, parallel to each other lengthwise, and at an angle of 
about 90 degrees to each other and 45 degrees to the horizontal. 
See Figs. 16, 17 and 20. 

All flat machines of this type have two needle plates, but 
for our purpose of knitting jersey fabric we need but one, 
therefore we will imagine that there are two in Fig. 16 but the 
back one having no needles in it cannot do any knitting. The 
needles, as will be noted in Fig. 16, are placed in tricks or 
slots of which there may be any number from 214 up to 18 in 
one inch, according to the size of the yarn to be used. The 
needles should fit in the slots close enough so that they will not 
have any chance to tip sidewise, yet they must move easily end- 
wise. The gib c, c, is for holding the needles in the plate, and 
of course is removed by drawing out endwise when a needle 
is to be put in or taken out of the plate. The plate is secured 
in a frame indicated by the letter n in Fig. 16, and the frame 
is attached to a stationary stand or table.- 

The cams a-1, a-2 and a-3 are attached to the carriage h, b, 
b, b, Fig. 17, at a point just below a-1, a-2 and a-3 and the 
carriage, together with the cams, rests and slides freely back 
and forth on the ways c, c, while the plate and needles remain 
stationary. The cams are secured to the carriage in a position 
so that they come very close to the needle plates. They should 
be set as close as possible and not rub the plate as they are 
moved back and forth. 

It may be well to explain here that a cam in any machine is 
a piece of hardened steel of the proper shape and construction 
to cause some other part of the machine to make the proper 
movements to perform its functions. In this instance they 
actuate the needles by coming in contact with the butts. 

It will be noted that each one of the needles from e to e, 
Fig. 16, has a loop in the hook except from the point where they 
are rising over the cam a-3, and on these the loops rest on the 
shank. It should be understood that the fabric back of the 
needle plate has a weight on it, thereby giving to each loop a 
downward pull. The fabric and weights may be seen in Fig. 18. 



20 



FLAT MACHINE KNITTING AND FABRICS 



Now bear in mind that the cams a-1, a-2 and o-3, Fig. 16, 
are attached to the carriage b, b, b, b, Fig. 17, at points under- 
neath a-1, a-2 and a-3. These cams are moving from right to 
left and as the lower left hand corner of a-3 is below the line 
of the butts of the needles from e to e, they, the needles, must 
of necessity slide upward in the slots along the edge of this 
cam. When they get to the top it will be noted that the latches 
of the needles are above and clear of the loops. As the cams 
move farther along, the cam a-2 comes in contact with the 
butts and slides them down again. As the needles move down- 
ward the hooks catch the thread i which lies in their path, and 
as at I the stitch that is on the needle closes the latch as the 
needle slides downward. As the needle moves farther down 




Top Side of Carriage, Over Cams. 



the hook draws a new loop through the old one, while the 
latch closing up the hook allows the old loop to slip over the 
end (needle m) , and the pull of the fabric draws it down on to 
the new loop. 

The thin portions of the needle plate indicated by the 
letter h in Fig. 16, which extend upwards, are called jacks and 
these hold that part of the stitch called sinker loops while the 
needle is drawing through the new needle loop. 

Below each needle is a U-shaped spring, j, j, and k, k. 
Fig. 16, which holds the needles up in the working position. 



LATCH NEEDLE KNITTING— JERSEY CLOTH 21 

They extend down to and around the bottom of the plate and 
up against the under side of the plate. The end that is under 
the plate is a little longer than the end that slides up in the 
slot below the needle. These U-springs are made so that before 
they are put in their places on the plate, the ends come together, 
so when they are spread and pushed on to the plate they act as 
a clamp to hold the needles in position. They are not attached 
to the needles, but simply clamp the plate with tension enough 
to hold them up or down, as the case may be, and the bottom 
end of the needles rests on them. This construction leaves the 
knitter in a position to pull down out of working position as 
many needles as he may wish, therefore he may make his fabric 
any desired width by pulling needles down out of the working 
line or pushing them up into the working line, thereby adding 
to or taking away stitches. 

The letter d in Fig. 17 designates the yarn carrier through 
which the yarn passes, and which guides the yarn along the path 
of the hooks of the needles. After having moved the carriage 
clear across the working needles, and finishing a course of 
loops, the carriage is moved back in the opposite direction and 
another course is put on. This is done in exactly the same way 
except that the cams must necessarily push or slide the needles 
up and down on the opposite sides of the cams : i.e., the butts 
slide up on the right hand side of the V-cam or cam a-3 in 
Fig. 16 and down the right hand side of cam a-1, or stitch 
cam. This operation is continued until the fabric is of the 
desired length. 

Needles are operated at a rate of speed that would make 
500 or more stitches per minute per needle if the machine would 
keep them in continuous operation, but in practical work they 
make from 50 to 200 stitches per minute according to the size 
of the machine as more time is consumed as a rule in the 
movements of the machine between the stitches than is used 
in the actual knitting operation. On account of this speed of 
operation the latches of the needles must be under control at 
all points in the cycle of knitting ; that is, from / to g in Fig. 16. 

Control of Latches 

It will be noted that needle o in Fig. 16 has just started to 
rise and the stitch that was in the hook has opened the latch 
and still has it under control. When this needle gets up to 
the position of needle p it has passed the point where the 



22 



FLAT MACHINE KNITTING AND FABRICS 



stitch can control the latch, therefore, other means must be 
provided or it would be very liable to fly up and close the 
hook, in which case it would be impossible for the hook to 
catch the yarn for the next stitch. When this happens we have 
what is called a drop stitch, and after the yarn had passed 
there would be no stitch on the needle. 

To provide against this there is used in this type of machine 
a long narrow thin bristle brush set over the needles and at the 




Flat Latch Needle Machine. 



proper angle and distance to just clear the latches. This 
brush is shown in Fig. 19. The letter a indicates the brush 
alone, and at b is shown the brush in the fixture which carries 
it. The letter c indicates the brush carrier. Fig. 20 is a 
view looking down from above the machine and shows the 
brushes, a and b, set ready to operate in the machine. So as 
not to confuse the reader I will say here that all previous 



LATCH NEEDLE KNITTING— JERSEY CLOTH' 23 



illustrations presenting this part of the machine have shown it 
with the brushes removed in order to make clear the operation 
of the needles. 





Fig-. 19. — Latch Brushes. One Mounted 
in its Holding Clamp, or Fixture. 



Fig 21. — Tubular Fabric 
Made on a Flat Machine. 




Position of Latch Brushes When on the Machine. 



A fabric made according to the foregoing explanations 
would be what is known as a jersey fabric (see Figs. 12 and 
13), but it would be a flat piece of fabric when finished. Per- 



24 FLAT MACHINE KNITTING AND FABRICS 

haps to make it plainer I should say that if the fabric were 
laid out on a table it would be a single thickness, and if it were 
to be made into a garment it would be necessary to double it 
over and sew the edges together to make it tubular, or in the 
form of a bag. If we wish to make the fabric tubular on the 
machine to save the labor of seaming it, and also prevent the 
unsightly seam, it would be necessary to use the needles in 
both plates, front and back. The cams would then be set by 
means provided, which will be explained later, so that when the 
carriage is moved in one direction, say from left to right, the 
front cams will operate the front needles and the back cams will 
be put out of operation ; and when the carriage is moved from 
right to left, the back cams will operate the back needles and 
the front cams will be put out of work. 




--. — Jfisey Fabric Made on 
Machine ^Vith 24 Needles 
to One Inch. 



Fig'. 2'.i. — Jer.sc.v Fald'ic Made o 

a Machine With 2^ Needles 

to One Inch. 



By continuing the operation of the machine in this manner 
of having only the front cams operate while moving the carriage 
in one direction, and only the back cams operate when the 
carriage is moved in the opposite direction, there would be pro- 
duced a tubular fabric as shown in Fig. 21. The yarn must of 
a necessity go across from front needles to back ones, and from 
back ones to front ones each time the direction of the movement 
of the carriage is changed, thereby closing up both sides of the 
fabric. 



LATCH NEEDLE KNITTING— JERSEY CLOTH 25 

Range of Jersey Fabric 

The jersey type of fabric is very popular with the consuming 
public and is used for quite a wide range of garments in many 
different weights and materials. Milady may easily be dressed 
throughout, with the exception of shoes, in jersey cloth, and still 
be up to the minute with her clothes. She may have on silk 
stockings which are made with the jersey stitch. Her under- 
wear, most surely is made of silk jersey fabric. Then she may 
wear a tricolet waist, which is silk jersey fabric, with a worsted 
jersey cloth suit. Also she might easily have her fall and winter 
coat made from the heavyweight fulled jersey cloth, and carry 
a heavy Shaker sweater, which is also the jersey stitch, on 
her motor trips into the country. 

It is a far cry from the finest and lightest to the heaviest 
and coarsest in jersey cloth. Figs. 22 and 23 show two 
extremes. Fig. 22 is a sample of fine fabric and has 32 stitches 
to one inch; while Fig. 23 is used for what is known as the 
Shaker sweater and has 31/? stitches to one inch. Between 
these come men's balbriggan underwear and the flat woolen 
underwear, the jersey bathing suits, tricolet, and the fulled 
jersey cloth for ladies' suits and coats, etc. This stitch is 
also the basic one for medium priced knit neckties, as well as 
knit mittens and gloves, except the very lightest and thinnest. 



CHAPTER III. 

Rib Fabric Group — How Stitch is Made for Different 

Cloths 

THERE are numerous conflicting expressions or terms used 
in the knit goods industry, and one of the most common 
of these is the term "flat goods." In the older underwear 
sections, where the circular machine was used exclusively and 
the flat machine was practically unknown, the term flat goods- 
indicated underwear fabric made tubular in the jersey stitch 
on circular spring needle machines, as distinguished from 
tubular rib fabric made on latch needle machines. At present, 
in the localities where mills are using both the circular and flat 
straight needle bed machines, it is generally understood that 
a flat fabric is a fabric of single thickness made on a flat 
machine, regardless of the stitch, and any fabric made on a 
circular machine is known as a tubular fabric. If the stitch 
should be specified it is mentioned separately. 

This latter custom appears to me to be the more logical;, 
therefore, when these terms are used hereafter in this work 
it should be understood that flat fabric means cloth of a 
single thickness made on a flat machine, or a tubular fabric 
cut open so it will lie out flat. The "flat goods" of the old time 
knitters will be called jersey cloth or fabric. 

We will now leave the jersey fabrics for a time, as the 
making of the tuck stitch and plated work in the jersey stitch 
are more or less complicated and had better be left until we take- 
up fancy stitches and designs on circular latch needle machines. 
The tuck stitch is never used in the jersey fabrics on flat 
machines. 

Rib Fabrics 

A rib fabric is one which has a rib or wale on both sides 
of the cloth. It has much ■ more stretch or elasticity than 
cloth of the jersey group ; about twice as much, generally 
speaking. The elasticity of either one, hov/ever, may be varied 
to a marked degree by changing the length of loop drawn. 



RIB FABRIC GROUP 27 

Rib fabric is peculiarly adapted for such garments or 
parts of garments as should be close fitting, such as ladies'" 
undergarments, cuffs for all kinds of knitted garments, tops 
of half hose, etc. Fig. 24 shows very clearly the course the 
yarn takes to form this stitch. It would be well to study this 
drawing in connection with Figs. 2 and 3 and note carefully 
the different course the yarn takes in order to form a wale 
on both sides of the fabric. A photographic reproduction of 
a plain rib fabric showing both sides is given at a, a, in Fig. 25. 

A properly constructed plain 1 and 1 rib fabric, such as is 
shown in Fig. 24, should be alike on both sides. Very often 
this is not the case. A little carelessness on the part of the 

adjuster in not drawing the 
stitch the same length on both 
sides will make a difference on 
the flat machines, while it is 
impossible to make them the 
same on an ordinary circular 
machine on account of the prin- 
ciples of construction of this 
machine. 

Fig. 26 is a view of a flat 
fy.^4- machine making the rib stitch. 

Construction of a Plain looking down from above. It 

almost fully explains the method 
of making this stitch to those who have carefully read and 
understand the principles of making the jersey stitch. In this 
illustration the carriage is moving from right to left, and both 
front and back cams are in operation, therefore both front and 
back needles are working. 

It should be noted that the back plate is set so that the 
needles of that plate come up at a point in the middle of the 
spaces between the needles of the front plate. The cams, 
front and back, being made exactly alike and set exactly opposite 
one another, must push the needles of both plates up at the 
same time and draw them down at the same time. When we 
feed the yarn, indicated by the letter a in Fig. 26, down 
through the guide, h, it is drawn into loops from both sides 
alternately, as shown at c, by the opposite sets of needles, 
thereby making stitches, or ribs, or wales, on both sides of 
the fabric. This is the plain 1 and 1 rib stitch. 





Fig-. 25. — Face and Back of Fabric: a,a. Plain Rib; b_,c. Half Cardigan; 
d,d, Full Cardigan. 




Flat Knitting- Machine Making the Rib Stitch. 



RIB FABRIC GROUP 29 

Varieties of Rib 

This stitch, by distortion, or by manipulation of the yarns 
or needles, or by a combination of two or all three of these 
things, can produce a number of fabrics different both in 
appearance and feel. To enumerate the principal ones, there 
are the half cardigan or tuck stitch, also sometimes called royal 
rib; the full cardigan, and the rack stitch with the rack on 
one side of the fabric and the double rack which shows the 
rack on both sides of the fabric. Then there is the zig-zag 
stitch, which is quite simple to make but is quite a puzzle to 
those not familiar with it. There is also the cotton back, which 
is a well known and popular fabric in the sweater trade. 

Then there are many varieties of ribs made either in plain 
or in combination with one or more of the above by taking 
needles out of the machine at pre-determined places, or by the 
Jacquard system of selecting needles. There is also the system 
of making designs by the cut pressers and pattern wheels, 
which is used on circular machines only. 



Half Cardigan or Tuck Stitch 

The half cardigan or tuck stitch is used more than any 
other of the ribbed group, though it is generally used in 
combination with the plain rib. The body and sleeves of the 
ordinary rib sweater, and much of the rib underwear produced, 
are made in this stitch while the cuffs are plain rib. The 
reason for this is that the half cardigan rib will knit up consid- 
erably wider, with the same number of needles, than the plain 
rib, therefore it is possible to make a shaped garment without 
cutting and sewing up again. Also the plain rib comes out 
lighter and thinner so makes a more desirable cuff for sweaters 
and underwear. It also has more life or spring to it, which 
is another desirable feature. 

The half cardigan or tuck stitch is the one that is almost 
invariably used in making the well known cotton back sweaters. 
It is believed by many people who are familiar with this fabric 
that the back stitch of cotton does not come through on the 
face, but in this they are mistaken. The face stitch does not 
go through on the back, but the back yarn does go through 
on the face. 



30 



FLAT MACHINE KNITTING AND FABRICS 




F/<?.Z7 



Construction of a Half Cardig'an 
Rib Fabric. 



Fig. 27 is a line drawing 
showing the course the yarn 
takes in making this stitch and 
a careful examination of it 
will demonstrate to the reader 
that this is the case. The dotted 
line e, e, indicates the 'wale on 
the face and /, /, shows the wale 
on the back. It will be noted 
that the back stitches of yarn 
come through to the face of the 
fabric and connect the preced- 
ing and succeeding stitches, c, c, 
the same as in the plain rib, 
but there is this difference, in 
the plain rib these face stitches are, or should be, just the same 
length, while in the half cardigan, on account of the back stitch 
of this course holding over for one course, it necessarily draws 
a longer stitch in the back and the yarn for this long stitch 
must come from the face stitch, thereby making this face stitch 
very short. 

In the drawing the stitches are not proportioned just as 
they lie in the actual fabric, for if they were it would be very 
difficult to trace their course. In the fabric the stitches b, b 
are so short that they are almost completely covered by the 
large, full, round stitches, c, c, c. These stitches are full and 
large from the fact that where they go through to the back they 
do not form a loop but simply cross over the back loop as at d, 
without being drawn through. These are completely covered 
by the loops a, a, in the back wale. 



How the Half Cardigan or Tuck Stitch Is Made 



The diagram at Fig. 28 shows the method used to make 
the half cardigan or tuck stitch on a flat machine. The cams 
shown are what are known as the Lamb system and are called 
the automatic cardigan or drop locks. The word "locks," as 
applied to the flat knitting machine, means a full set of cams 
attached to the cam plates ready to affix to the carriage. There 
are a number of diff'erent systems of constructing these locks, 
but the one selected is the most simple of all and for this 



RIB FABRIC GROUP 



31 




Automatic Locks for Making Half or Full Cardigan Fabrics. 



reason is used for illustration first. The others will be taken 
up at the proper place. 

In Fig. 28 only a part of the needle plates are shown. They 
are attached to a frame at an angle of 90° to each other and 45' 
to the horizontal as explained before. The cams are shown in 
working position with the carriage (to which they are attached 
when in use) removed. As indicated by the thread h, they 
are being moved toward the far end. 

It should be noted that the automatic drop V-cams a, a, are 
in different positions. These cams are made so that they sw^ing 
freely on the pivots h, b, and the swing is inside of the limits of 
the positions of the two cams in the drawing. It is controlled 
by pins on the top side of the swinging ends, the pins coming 



32 FLAT MACHINE KNITTING AND FABRICS 

through a slot of the proper length in the cam plate to stop 
them at the right place. 

When starting to move these locks from the near end toward 
the far end, the cam a, on the left, might be in any position 
within the limits of the before mentioned slot in the cam plate, 
but the instant it comes in contact with the butts of the needles 
it is automatically forced to the position shown. 

In making the half cardigan stitch the right hand cam is 
held up to the top, as shown, at all times by means provided. 
This position forces the needles high enough so that the latches 
are above and clear of the loop that is on the needle, therefore 
when the needles are drawn down again by the cam /, they 
draw new loops and cast the old ones off over the latch and 
hook, and they drop dov/n on the new loop, just as explained 
in describing how to make the plain rib. This refers only to 
the needles in the right plate. 

The cam a, on the left side, however, having been swung 
down to its lowest position by contact with the needle butts, 
raises the needles only about one-half of the normal distance. 
Or to put it differently, the needles raise high enough to open 
the latches and catch the yarn when being drawn down again, 
but not high enough to permit the loop that is on the needle 
to slide down below the latch. Therefore, after the completion 
of the course we have the right side with the new loop drawn 
through the old one as in plain rib, but the left side still retains 
the old or previous loop and also the new one as at j. This 
leaves two loops on every needle on the left side and one on 
the right when the course is com.pleted. 

On the return course, from the far end to the near end, 
when the point i of the left cam, a, comes in contact with the 
first needle it must swing up in the same position as the right 
cam, a, therefore all the needles will draw the new loop through 
the two preceding ones and clear themselves, leaving only one 
loop on each needle as in the plain rib. 

On the next course, from the near end to the far end, the 
left hand needles again hold the old loop and take on a new 
one as just explained, while the right hand needles cast off the 
old ones and hold only the new ones. 

To condense the operation into a few words let us say that 
the left hand needles always must hold the two stitches while 
moving in one direction, and clear them off and hold only one 
on the return course; while the right hand needles always cast 



RIB FABRIC GROUP 33 

off the old stitch and hold the new ones only. The right hand 
needles would make the face side of the fabric. 

The writer has made a special effort to explain the forma- 
tion of this particular stitch, and the reader should make the 
same effort to get this formation clear in his mind, for this 
stitch is the base of almost all of the fancy stitches or design 
work which will be taken up later. The system used in design 
work is of course entirely different from the one just described, 
being what might be called a selective system, that is, a method 
whereby the designer may select the proper needles at the 
proper time and place to make the tuck stitches block out the 
design wanted. 

Fig. 25, at band c, shows the tuck or half cardigan stitch ; h 
is the face and c is the back. If studied carefully the reader 
will notice that the face side, h, has a full round stitch, while c, 
or the back of the fabric, has a small narrow stitch. 



The Full Cardigan Stitch 

The full cardigan stitch is not nearly so generally used as 
the half cardigan and plain rib stitches. It is seldom if ever 
used in making underwear or any fine fabrics. When it is 
made it is usually used for sweater fabrics or other novelty 
wearing apparel of this character, 

A line drawing of the full 
cardigan stitch is shown in 
Fig, 29, This stitch, as its 
name would indicate, is made in 
the same way as the half cardi- 
gan only the stitches are held 
alternately on both rows of 
needles on alternate courses. 
Referring again to Fig. 28, in 
making the full cardigan stitch 
the cams would operate exactly 
f=',q.23 ^^^ same while moving toward 

o . .• , /,,.. ,■ r^ , ■ the far end as shown and ex- 

Construction of a Full Cardigan Fabric. . 

plained for the half cardigan. 
But the means provided to hold the right hand cam, a, at the 
top position would have been removed, so that on the return 
from the far to the near end this cam would be thrown down 




34 FLAT MACHINE KNITTING AND FABRICS 

to the same position as the left hand cam, o, is shown, while 
this left hand cam would be forced up into the position in which 
the right hand cam is now shown. In other words, the stitch 
would be the same with the carriage or cams moving in either 
direction, only it would alternate on each course from one 
row of needles to the other. 

We will refer back to Fig. 25, which shows both sides of a 
piece of fabric with the three stitches we have just discussed 
in one piece. This shows quite plainly the individual character- 
istics of each. All have the same number of needles or wales, 
the same yarn was used, on the same machine; yet how 
different the results! 

The most marked difference is in the width. There is 
proportionately the same difference in the thickness, but this 
cannot very well be shown. It should be observed that the 
stitch or loops of the plain rib a, a, and the full cardigan d, d, 
are the same on both sides of the fabric, while the stitches in 
the half cardigan, h and c, are not. It will be noted also that 
the stitch of the plain rib is much smaller than that of the two 
cardigans, also that the wales or ribs hug very close together in 
the plain rib, while they are separated more or less in the 
cardigans. 



CHAPTER IV. 

The Rack Stitch — Making Shaped Collars- 
Opportunities IN Designing Fabrics 



THE rack stitch is used on many sweaters for a border on 
the bottom, also for a narrow strip on both sides of the 
shoulder seam, and a strip at the place the stitch changes 
from half cardigan to plain for the cuff. Many sweaters have 
the collar and the border down the front made separately in 
the rack stitch and sewed on. Most of the designs in the 
knitted neckties made on flat machines are based on the rack 
stitch. Another very important use for this stitch is in making 
a smooth sightly edge on the bottom of sweaters, the ends of 
cuffs, etc. 

The rack stitch is always made on one of the cardigans. 
From this statement the reader will realize that this stitch is 
not made in place of the half or full cardigan, or any other 
stitch but is an addition to, or a further development of these 
stitches. 

Fig. 30 shows a half cardigan stitch ready to rack, as it is 
customary to make the one needle rack on this stitch. It 
should be noticed that the racking is done on the course that 
holds, or does not cast the previous stitch off on one side. 
Fig. 31 shows the stitch after the plate has been racked over 
one needle. This illustration practically explains the whole 
principle of the rack stitch. The rack will show on the side 
that casts the stitches off the needles. It is customary to hold 




;10. — Half Cardigan Stitch 
Ready to Rack. 



Fie:. 31, — Stitch After Plate Has 
Been Racked Over One Needle. 



36 FLAT MACHINE KNITTING AND FABRICS 

the stitch or tuck on the back plate, therefore the rack shows 
on the front side of the fabric, or the side toward the operator 
of the machine. 

Operation of Racking 

It is understood, of course, that on a flat machine there 
must always be an end needle on one plate or the other. 
Usually the knitter sets up his machine with one plate carry- 
ing the end needle on one side of the work and the other plate 
carrying the other end needle. Which end of the respective 
plates carries this needle depends on the position of the racking 
cam. In the illustration, Fig. 30, the front plate has the end 
needle on the right and back plate has the end needle on the 
left. After racking as in Fig. 31, these positions are reversed. 
It will be noted that the front plate has been racked or moved 
over one needle so the front needles will come up through 
and operate between the next two needles to the left of their 
previous positions. 

Or to explain it in a different way, in Fig. 30, before rack- 
ing, the front plate has the end needle on the right and operates 
outside of the last needle in the back plate, but after racking, 
as in Fig. 31, this end needle on the front plate has been shifted 
over so it comes up inside the last needle in the back plate. 

After racking over one needle there must be one full round 
or two courses put on before racking again ; that is while 
racking on the half cardigan stitch, and then the plate is 
racked back to the first position. This operation of racking 
first one way and then the other with a round between each 
rack is continued until the necessary number of racks are 
finished and then the operator proceeds with the plain half 
cardigan. 

This procedure would make a plain rack on one side of the 
fabric only. We have assumed in this explanation that the 
back is stationary and the front plate is the one that moves, 
but I wish to have it understood here that it makes no difference 
which plate is stationary and which one racks or is movable; 
the results are the same. 

Some writers use the words shog or shogged in place of 
rack or racked, but the writer of this work has avoided the 
use of these words as they are seldom or never used by the 
practical knitter, at least not in this country. 



THE RACK STITCH— DESIGNED FABRICS 



37 



The Racking Mechanism 

In most of the modern flat machines the plate that racks has 
enough end clearance to rack over at least two needles, and 
some of them as many as four, though racking two needles is 
sufficient for all ordinary work. Fig. 32 shows the method of 
racking or moving the plate to make the rack stitch, or at 
least this is the principle used as a rule on the imported 
machines, with some modifications by some makers. This also 
applies to the method shown of attaching the plates to the 
frame. 

There is a large flat bottom hole, c, bored about half way 
through the plate; through the bottom of this hole there is 




The Racking- Cam, Ratchet and Studs. 



made an elongated hole, h, through which the plate is attached 
to the frame by the shouldered screw, a, the head of which is 
flush with the top of the plate. It will readily be seen that 
with this method the plate cannot be moved in any direction 
except lengthwise of the plate, or crosswise of the needles. To 
secure this movement at will there is a steel strap, d, attached 



38 FLAT MACHINE KNITTING AND FABRICS 

to the under side of the plate by the screws j and k, and 
through the outside end of this strap there are two elongated 
holes through which are attached two shouldered studs with 
nuts e and /. These studs extend down on both sides of the 
steps of the racking cam, g, and together with the plate are 
moved back and forth by the steps on the racking cam. The 
cam is moved by the handle, i, in the hand machines, or by 
the ratchet, h, being operated by pawls or dogs in power 
machines. 

The letter h shows a front elevation of the ratchet, while i 
is a side view. It will be noted that there are only three teeth 
on each side, and these two groups are opposed one to the 
other. If the reader will examine the racking cam, g, with 
due thought the reason for this will be obvious. There are 
three steps on the cam and the cam must have an oscillating 
movement and not a rotary one. The ratchet, h, and the rack- 
ing cam, g, are both attached securely to one hub, therefore 
must move together on a stud which projects from the end 
of the frame. 

The plate as illustrated in Fig. 32, sets at the limit of its 
movement to the left, consequently any racking that is to be 
done must move the plate to the right, therefore the pawl at 
the top of the ratchet would engage the uppermost tooth, q, and 
turning the ratchet one tooth would move the racking cam 
one step, thus moving the plate over one needle through its 
contact with the studs, e and /. There are two pawls, upper 
and lower, arranged to engage the teeth on the ratchet either 
at the top or the bottom as required. If we wanted a one- 
needle rack only, after putting on one round of stitches we 
would have the lower pawl engage the tooth, n, of the ratchet 
and move the racking cam back to its first position. If, how- 
ever, we wanted a two-needle rack, the upper pawl would 
engage the second tooth, o, of the ratchet. For three racks it 
would then engage the next tooth, m, after which it would be 
necessary to start on the return to the first position, remember- 
ing to put on one course or one round, as the case may be, of 
stitches between each rack. If racking on the half cardigan 
stitch there should be one full round between the racks, but if 
on the full cardigan the racking may be done every half round 
or every course, as will be explained hereafter. 

Fig. 33 is a photographic reproduction of a piece of fabric, 
face and back, of a one-needle rack which shows on one side 



THE RACK STITCH— DESIGNED FABRICS 



39 



^>V:*;^^.\*^^*' 




Fig-. 33. — Face and Back of One-Needle Rack. 

of the fabric only. A fabric with the two-needle rack which 
would show on both sides of the fabric is not illustrated, for 
it would be the same on both sides as the face side of Fig. 33. 
A line drawing of the rack stitch is shown at Fig. 34. This 
is drawn out of proportion and is very loose and not like the 
fabric, but by making it this way the direction the yarn takes 
may be easily located. 



The Zig-Zag Stitch 

Fig. 35 is an example of a 
fabric that may be made with a 
one-needle rack. It is called the 
zig-zag stitch. To make this the 
machine should be set to make 
the full cardigan stitch. After 
setting up the machine and 
putting on one round, the needle 
plate is racked over one needle, 
put on a course or half round 
and rack back one needle. Con- 
tinue this racking back and 

forth on each course for five rounds, then skip one rack or put 
on one full round without racking and continue as before. 




Position of Stitch After Racking. 



40 



FLAT MACHINE KNITTING AND FABRICS 



Repeat this operation of racking every course for five rounds 
and then skip one rack and we have a zig-zag stitch. 

The points come where the 
rack is skipped, or in other 
words the direction of the diag- 
onal stitch will continue in the 
same direction as long as the 
needle plate is racked every 
course without skipping, but 
immediately one rack is missed 
the stitch starts diagonally in 
the other direction. It is ob- 
vious from the foregoing ex- 
planation that the knitter is not 
obliged to use any set number 
of courses between the change, 
but may use any number at his 
discretion to get the distance 
^. „ C5.-. V, desired between the points. 

Zig-Zag Stitch. '^ 




Shaped Collar for Sweaters 
The peculiar characteristic of this stitch is utilized in mak- 
ing a shaped collar for sweaters, as shown in Figs. 38 and 39. 
First let the reader remember that the direction the diagonal 




Shaped Collar for Sweattr.s as Knit. 



THE RACK STITCH— DESIGNED FABRICS 



41 



stitch takes all depends on which end of the machine the 
carriage is at when the racking operation begins. It should 
be understood that the collars are made in a long string and 
the three parts, as shown in Fig. 38, are duplicated one after 
another. On either end, where this piece has been cut off, 
there was a duplicate of the plain racked piece shown at the 
middle, and at the end of these there was another diagonal 
piece, and so on from the beginning to the end. 

It should be clear to the 
reader that if the piece shown 
(Fig. 38) were cut through on 
the broken lines we would have 
one complete collar and we 
would have left the diagonal 
stitch that belongs on one end 
of each of the two adjoining 
center pieces, therefore by cut- 
ting all the collars apart at the 
point indicated by the line we 
would have our collars shaped 
without any waste and would 
have a selvage or finished edge 

Fig 39.— Shaped Collar Folded. on the OUtside. 

The collar is stitched or sewed on the neck opening of the 
sweater along the cut. edge and across the bottom of the racked 
center piece, and after it is finished and the sweater coat 
buttoned up it folds over and looks as shown in Fig. 39. As 
stated before this collar can be made on a machine that racks 
over only one needle, but in that case the center piece would 
be racked on one side only, therefore it is customary to make 
these collars on a two needle rack machine with the middle 
portion racked on both sides as will be noted in Fig. 39. 

Making a rack on both sides of the fabric is very much like 
making the diagonal stitch in the operation of the machine, 
even though the resultant fabric is so radically different. It 
should be made with a full cardigan stitch same as the zig-zag 
or diagonal, and the needle plate must be racked every course 
or half round, but with this difference : When making the 
diagonal stitch the needle plate is racked over one needle and 
back again, while to rack both sides of the fabric the needle 
plate is racked over two needles. This does not mean that the 
knitter should rack over two needles at once, for this should 




42 FLAT MACHINE KNITTING AND FABRICS 

never be done, but rack over one needle, let us say to the right, 
then put on one course and rack over the second needle to the 
right, put on one course and rack one needle to the left, put 
on one course and rack the second needle to the left. Or in 
other words, rack alternately two needles to the right and 
left and put on one course or half round each time the needle 
plate is racked one needle. 

There is one other point that should be remembered in mak- 
ing this collar and that is the manner of starting the diagonal 
stitch in the proper direction after finishing in the middle 
portion. Each time this part is finished the diagonal stitch 
should go in the opposite way from the previous time, therefore 
when the one needle half round rack starts to make this stitch 
the first rack should be made with the carriage on the opposite 
side of the machine from which the previous one was started. 



Kf%:;^^ 






Opportunity for Varying Designs 

Fig. 37 is an interesting example of what may be done 
with the two-needle rack. Designs of this character require 
the removal or pulling down out of operation of every other 
needle, therefore a machine of any given cut, or needles per 
inch, would be in reality only half as fine as cut and would 
necessitate the use of a heavier or larger yarn. 

To make the fabric shown 
in Fig. 37 pull down or remove 
every other needle in the front 
plate. Then pull down or re- 
move every other needle in the 
back plate for five needles, then 
leave two needles together and 
remove every other needle for 
five more, leave two needles to- 
gether and continue as before 
until the full width of needles 
in working position are as fol- 
lows : Every other needle down 
out of working position in the 
front plate, and every other one 
down in groups of five with 
two needles together between 
these groups in the back plate. ^''-- ^•■~^^-i^ uie^'^Rlck!^'^" ^^^^^ 






THE RACK STITCH— DESIGNED FABRICS 



43 



We will find by this arrangement that when we rack the 
plate over one needle, every second group of five needles in the 
back plate will rack across a needle of the front plate, but the 
other groups will simply move between the needles in the front 
plate, therefore will make a plain half cardigan stitch only, 
while the other groups will make a rack stitch. If this opera- 
tion were continued in this way, racking one needle only back 
and forth, we would get a fabric with vertical stripes of 
alternating plain half cardigan and rack stitch. But if we 
rack back and forth one needle each round for ten rounds, then 
rack over the second needle and rack back and forth one 
needle in this position, we will find that the groups of five 



^/y^.-V^ 




Fig. 36. — Designs Made with Rack Stitch. 

needles that were racking in the first instance are now making 
the plain half cardigan stitch, and the groups that were at first 
making the plain are now racking. 

An ingenious knitter can make an almost unlimited number 
of designs of this character by different arrangements of his 
needles and a variation of the timing of his racks. One thing 
which should be remembered is that all racking should be done 
on the course that tucks or holds two stitches when racking 
on the half cardigan. On the full cardigan both courses are 
tucked, therefore it does not matter which one is racked, only 
the side of the fabric on which the rack shows is dependent 
upon which course the plate is racked. 

The design shown in Fig. 36 at a is simply a zig-zag stitch 
with three needles taken out of the back plate at short intervals, 
giving these places a piping effect. The fabric at 5 is a plain 
one needle rack with the piping made in the same manner. 



CHAPTER V. 

The Double Lock Flat Machine — How Different 
Stitches are Formed 

OUR study of flat machines up to this point has dealt 
entirely with the class known as the single lock machines, 
or those that have but one set or pair of locks to do the 
knitting. There is another very popular type, commonly 
known as the double-lock machine, which is, it might be said, 
in a class by itself. This machine, as the name would indicate, 
has two sets or pairs of locks mounted on the same carriage, 
and set as closely together as they can be and work properly. 

The double-lock machine has many advantages over the 
single-lock type, the most important being that there can be 
made upon it a two-faced fabric, that is, a fabric with each 
side faced with a different yarn, either in color, quality or 
both. The popular "cotton back" sweater is in this class. In 
making this class of fabric it is essential that the two diff"erent 
yarns, to show out on the two faces of the fabric, go into the 
fabric in alternate courses. Therefore, it is obvious that it 
would not be practical to make this fabric on a single lock 
machine, for when a course was finished the second yarn 
would be on the opposite end of the machine from the locks 
and yarn carrier, and it would be necessary to put on a full 
round, or two courses, in order to get back to that end to 
exchange yarn carriers. 

The double-lock machine overcomes this difficulty by taking 
both yarn carriers across, one following the other, each on a 
pair of locks, each time the carriage moves across the machine. 
It is evident from this that every time the carriage is moved 
across the machine there are two courses put on the fabric, 
instead of one as with the single-lock machine. 

Speed and Production 

This point leads up to another advantage of the double-lock 
machine, that is, increased production on account of putting on 
two courses with each movement of the carriage across, as 
against one course with the single-lock machine. The produc- 
tion would not be twice as much, as might be supposed at first 



DOUBLE LOCK FLAT MACHINE 45 

thought, for comparing two machines of the same size, the 
single lock could be operated at a greater speed than the double 
lock, but not approaching twice the speed. The reason for this 
is that the locks of the double-lock machine must, of course, be 
practically twice the length of the locks of the single-lock 
machine, and inasmuch as the locks must move far enough at 
each end to be clear of or past the needles, it is quite obvious 
that the double-lock carriage must have a longer travel. There- 
fore, it takes longer to complete one round of the carriage than 
the single-lock machine, to maintain the same needle speed. 

This brings us to another point that may as well be disposed 
of here, and that is the speed of latch needle machines. Generally 
speaking, the maximum speed of a latch needle, machine, either 
flat or circular, is governed by the needle speed; that is, the 
speed at which the cams raise and lower the needles, and t^-e 
thread velocity, which is of course dependent on the needle 
speed. 

Speed of Flat Machines 

As a general rule, where the machine is in good condition 
and the yarn of fairly good quality, a flat machine with a 
crank drive should be operated at from 100 to 125 lineal feet 
per minute, and a chain drive may be operated at from 125 
to 150 lineal feet per minute. The reason for this difference 
between the chain drive and the crank drive is that with the 
crank drive the movement of the carriage across the machine 
is not uniform throughout, its movement being faster in the 
center than at either end, therefore we must regulate our 
speed so it will not be too high at this point. On the. other 
hand, the chain drive carries uniformly throughout the move- 
ment of the carriage except for two or three inches at the ends. 

To explain what is meant by lineal feet per minute, let us 
assume that we have a 20-inch machine, that is, there are 20 
inches of needles. In this case the carriage would have to 
travel about 30 inches on account of the locks having to clear 
the needles at both ends, therefore a movement of the carriage 
across and back, or one complete round, would cover twice 30 
inches or 60 inches, or 5 feet. Now if we intend to run this 
machine at a speed of 120 lineal feet per minute, we would 
divide 120 feet by 5 feet, which would give us 24 rounds per 
minute, the speed the machine should run. 



46 



FLAT MACHINE KNITTING AND FABRICS 



I do not wish to be understood as giving this as a hard and 
fast rule for the speed of machines, for there are many 
factors which enter into the operation of knitting machinery 
which might make it desirable to vary this speed. Some of 
these factors are the condition of the machine, the experience 
of the operator, the character of the yarn, the class of fabric, 
and sometimes the skill of the mechanic in charge of the 
machines. 

Going back to the two-faced fabric, this must be made on 
one of the two cardigans. The "cotton backs" are usually 



10 6 ^b. 4a ^^ 7 




Dubied System of Trouble Locks. 



made on the half cardigan, while the fabrics with two different 
colored faces are made on the full cardigan as a rule. 

Fig. 40 shows a type of double lock used in a Dubied 
machine made in Switzerland. The reader will understand 
from what has gone before that this illustration shows the 
locks turned upside down, that is, if they were in operation 
on a machine they would be turned over with the cams close 
to the needle plates. It will be noted that the fundamentals 



DOUBLE LOCK FLAT MACHINE 47 

are the same as in the Lamb system previously described, but 
the method used to change from the plain rib to the full or 
half cardigan, or vice versa, is different. 

In making a plain rib fabric the needle butts would follow 
the camway as in the Lamb system, that is, if the carriage 
were being moved from left to right the needle butts would 
follow the course up with cams la, 15 and Ic below, and 1, Is, 
8s and 8 above. This explanation would of course apply to all 
four sets of cams. The cams lb, 26, 36 and 46 have studs 
which project through the cam plate and there are means pro- 
vided to draw any one or all of these cams back through the 
cam plate by these studs far enough so that the faces of the 
cams are flush with the cam plate, and entirely out of operation. 

The cams Ic, 2c, 3c and 4c are made to swing on the pivots, 
aa, and are held down on cams, la to 4a, in the position shown, 
by springs. It should be particularly noticed that the cams 
just mentioned, 16 to 46, and Ic to 4c, are exactly alike in the 
four sets of locks, but their positions are reversed in the sets 
opposite. They are placed in this way in order to facilitate 
the making of the cardigan stitches. 



Making Half Cardigan Stitch 

In the study of what follows it should be remembered that 
the illustration at Fig. 40 shows the locks bottom up, therefore 
in actual operation the lower set in the illustrations would be 
the back ones, and the upper set the front ones. 

In making the half cardigan stitch it is customary to have 
the tuck or holdover stitch on the back plate; on the double- 
lock machine, where we have two feeds, it is on the back feed, 
and the plain course is on the locks that are leading. There- 
fore, to make a half cardigan stitch with these locks we would 
simply raise cams 26 and 36 up through the cam plate out of 
working position. 

Now remembering that the cams 2c and 3c are free to swing 
up and down on the pivots, aa, and are held down in their 
present position by a small spring, it should be readily under- 
stood that in moving the carriage from, let us say, left to 
right, the butts of the needles would follow up the right side 
of cam 2a, and on up over 2c, therefore would knit out on this 
course. But when these butts came to the second set of locks 



48 FLAT MACHINE KNITTING AND FABRICS 

they would move up the right side of cam 3a until they came to 
the upper right hand corner of this cam, and at this point, on 
account of cam 35 being up out of operation, they would move 
across and raise up cam 3c and pass under it. Cam 3ft not 
being high enough to raise the needles to the point where the 
stitch would drop off the latches, obviously the needles must 
hold the two stitches on this side of these locks. 

On the return of the carriage from right to left the opera- 
tion of the needles would be reversed, that is, they would pass 
up over cam 3c and knit out on the locks in the lead and pass 
under cam 2c. 

To sum up the whole operation in a few words, to make a 
half cardigan stitch we must alternate with the plain rib 
course and a course that tucks or holds the previous stitch, as 
well as the new one on one side. This half cardigan is the 
stitch used in making what is known as the "cotton back" 
sweater and other such fabrics. 

By having one yarn carrier threaded with cotton and one 
threaded with wool or worsted, as the case may be, and chang- 
ing these carriers at the end of every course so as to keep 
the cotton always knitting at the cams that are leading or mak- 
ing the plain stitch, the cotton alone will draw through on the 
back of the fabric while the worsted or wool will practically 
cover the face stitch of the cotton. This exchange of the yarn 
carriers at the end of each course is done automatically by 
the machine, therefore requires no attention by the operator. 



Full Cardigan Stitch 

To make the full cardigan stitch the procedure would be 
practically the same as explained on the single-lock machine, 
as both pairs of these locks would be tucking or holding on 
one side (opposite sides) on one course, and each would reverse 
itself on the return course. The cams lb, 25, 35 and 45 would 
be lifted up out of operation. When this is done the cams 
Ic, 2c, 3c and 4c would operate automatically to give us this 
result. This is the stitch used as a rule to make the two-faced 
fabrics, that is, to make the two sides of different colors. 

In connection with this explanation the question may arise 
as to why the half cardigan stitch is used in making a fabric 
with one side cotton and the other side wool or worsted, and 



DOUBLE LOCK FLAT MACHINE 49 

the full cardigan stitch used when making the two sides of 
different colors. The answer to this is that the half cardigan 
stitch makes the better fabric of the two for most purposes 
on account of the face stitch being full and round, thereby 
filling up the space between the wales. Inasmuch as the 
cotton stitch on the face is very short, and the wool or worsted 
quite long, and both are the same color, the cotton will show 
but very little, if any. On the other hand, if two widely 
divergent colors were used, the face would not show a solid 
color but would have more of a salt and pepper effect. 

To go back to Fig. 40 it will be noted, as stated before, 
that while the principle of these locks is the same as the Lamb 
system previously explained, the construction is somewhat 
different. The stitch cams, 1, 8, 7, 6, 3 and 4 are shaped along 
the lines of a parallelogram, while all the stitch cams in the 
Lamb system were triangular. Cams 3 and 4 are made this 
shape to allow placing the triangular cam. Id, in position to 
act as a guard cam to prevent the butts of the needles from 
flying up between after dropping off the ends of the stitch 
cams 3 and 4. Yet it allows these stitch cams to be moved 
freely up and down through the angular slot in the cam plate, 
which shows at the ends, in order to make the stitch longer 
or shorter as the need may be. Cams 1 and 6 are made this 
shape to allow placing back of them the triangular cams 9 and 
10, but these are for another purpose. 

It sometimes happens that it is desirable to make a fabric 
with the stitch so short that it would not cast the old stitch 
off over the end of the needles with all the cams set high 
enough to make this short stitch. When this is the case, cams 
1 and 6 only would be moved up to a point where they would 
not draw the new stitch through the previous one on their 
respective courses, therefore would not use any yarn, while 
the opposite cams 2 and 5 would draw a full stitch. 

After the needles had passed these cams (2 and 5) the 
cams 9 and 10 on their respective courses, having been set 
down to the proper position, would draw the needles in this 
plate down to the point where the old stitch would cast off, 
thereby completing that stitch without undue strain on the 
yarn on account of the needles on the opposite side being free 
to raise far enough to prevent it. Cam 11 acts as a guard 
cam for 7 and 8 and also is used on a short stitch to cast off 
for these two cams, the same as 9 and 10 cast off for 1 and 6. 



50 



FLAT MACHINE KNITTING AND FABRICS 



Yarn Carrier for Plating 



Fig. 41 shows a yarn carrier 
used for plating on a flat ma- 
chine. By plating is meant 
where two threads of different 
quality, say worsted and cotton, 
are used in the same course, and 
the worsted is laid in the fabric 
so as to show on the outside and 
the cotton is in the middle. To 
do this the worsted yarn, d, d, 
would pass through the center 
hole, h, and the yarn c, c, pass- 
ing through the crescent-shaped 
hole, a, would be the cotton. It 
will be noted that the angular 
draw of the yarn from the 
bottom of the guide into the 
needles will always keep the 
yarns in the positions shown. 
When the end of the course is reached, and the movement of 
the carriage is reversed, the cotton yarn c, c, will swing around 
to the opposite end of the crescent-shaped hole, a, and in this 
way will always be in the same relative position to the worsted 
yarn d. 




Fig. 41 
Plating Tarn Carrier. 



CHAPTER VI. 

Fashioned Goods 

FASHIONED goods are garments which, while being knit on 
the machine, are made the proper shape to fit the wearer. 
If the garment to be fashioned is a sweater, the fashioning 
or shaping to be done is the sleeve, the neck opening, the collar, 
and at times in the better class of sweaters, the arm holes are 
narrowed back from the lower part to the shoulder in order to 
shorten the shoulder length, thereby insuring a better fit. When 
making underwear not only the sleeves have to be shaped but 
the legs of the drawers are shaped also. In the ladies' high 
class fashioned underwear and tights the bust and hips are 
shaped. Much of this class of work, with the exception of 
hosiery, is made on the hand machines and involves much more 
labor, time and skill, than where the work is knit in a straight 
piece and made the proper shape by other means after being 
taken off the machine. 

There are three advantages in fashioning the garments in 
the knitting operation. First, there is a saving in material 
as there is no material cut off in order to get the shape. This 
saving, however, would pay but a small part of the extra labor 
involved. Second, fashioned goods make up into better looking 
and as a rule better fitting garments than cut goods. Third, 
on account of the edges being selvage, not cut and raw, it is 
possible to join two edges so the place of joining will look much 
like a wale in the fabric, thereby avoiding the unsightly seams 
of the cut garment. 

In fashioning of this character it is customary to set the 
machine up and start at the widest part of the garment, if 
possible, so that in getting the required shape the fabric will 
be made narrower instead of wider, though this is not essential, 
as it is practical to widen the fabric as well as to make it 
narrower. 

The Narrowing Comb 

The letter a in Fig. 42 shows the instrument used for nar- 
rowing by hand. It is called a decker or narrowing comb. It 



52 FLAT MACHINE KNITTING AND FABRICS 



will be 
handle, 



w 



Narrow! 
an 



noted that it consists of long slim points clamped in a 
with an eye in the free end of each point. There may 
be any desired number of points 
clamped in the handle, the limit being 
only the width of the clamp, but the 
usual number for this work is from 
three to five. These points must be set 
at a distance from one another to 
correspond to the cut of the machine 
on which they are to be used ; that is, 
if the needle plates are cut for six 
needles to one inch the spacing of the 
decker points must be the same. I 
might add that these deckers are some- 
times made by stamping the whole 
decker, points and all, out of sheet 
F/q.^2. steel, and sometimes by soldering the 

i}s Comb or Decker rouud points on to a handle. 

d ^ork Hook. ^ 




-Set Up Comli 



Perhaps the best way to explain the use of this decker is 
to give directions for making a sleeve. First we must have a 
set up comb, shown in Fig. 43, the use of which will be under- 
stood as we proceed. Then we must have weights with which 
to hold the work down on the needles, for, as stated before, 
in the operation of knitting there must always be means pro- 
vided to pull the fabric onto and away from the needles. These 
weights are simply a stand made from a short iron rod about 
three-sixteenths inch in diameter and about seven to eight 
inches long, with a hook turned on one end, a small round 
iron disc attached to the other, and a number of round iron 
weights slotted to the center to allow the operator to slip 
them on or off the stand to secure the desired pull. In fact. 



FASHIONED GOODS 53 

the stand and weights are a duplicate of the stand and weights 
we see hanging on the end of the beam of a common platform 
scale. 

To make the sleeve we would put up the required number 
of needles for the full width of the sleeve, let us say 100, and 
set the locks for half cardigan stitch. We would then draw 
the yarn through the yarn guide and down through the throat 
between the needle plates. Then we would move the carriage 
across the machine to the opposite side, and we should find that 
each needle had caught the yarn and drawn it back and forth 
across the throat. We would now take our set up comb, 
illustrated in Fig. 43, and push the points which project at 
the top up through the throat, from underneath, until the 
upper ends are above the yarn, which has been drawn back 
and forth across the throat, after which we push the wire, 
shown just above the comb, through the eyes in the end of 
the points, as indicated by the dotted line. Now we can pull 
the comb down on to the yarn and the wire will rest on it. 
We then hang a weight in the center hole at the bottom and 
are ready to proceed with the knitting. 



Operation of Narrowing 

The first thing we would do after hanging on our weights 
would be to rack over one needle to give that end of the sleeve 
a smooth selvage finish. We would now put on five rounds, 
after which we would begin to narrow. Stopping the carriage 
on the left side of the machine, we would take the decker and 
place the hooks of the three end needles, in the back plate on 
the right, in the eyes of the three points of the decker, draw 
the needles up until the stitch dropped down below the latch, 
then push them down to their first position. We find that the 
stitches have dropped off over the end and free of the needle 
on to our decker. We now carry the stitches in toward the 
center one needle, hook on to these three needles and pull them 
up through the stitches, being careful not to pull them up so 
far that the stitches will drop down below the latches. After 
this has been done we have the end needle without a stitch 
and therefore pull it down where it is out of operation. 

We go through this same performance on the front needle 
plate, right side, then move the carriage over to the right and 



54 



FLAT MACHINE KNITTING AND FABRICS 



do the same with the left side. It is obvious that when we 
have finished we shall have put four needles out of operation, 
or what would count as two in the width of the garment. We 
would repeat this after every five rounds for twenty-five 
rounds, so at this point our sleeve would be ten needles narrower 
than when we started, although we would have put out of 
operation twenty needles in narrowing. It is customary to 
reckon only with the needles of one plate, as the wales of one 
side only are counted in the width of a rib fabric. 

Shaping a garment in this manner leaves a selvage edge for 
joining, consequently when the garment is finished the seams, 
when properly put together, are small with an appearance much 
like a wale in the fabric. They also have the same stretch or 
elasticity as the fabric. 

Fig. 44 is an outline of ap- 
proximately the shape the sleeve 
should be w^hen finished and 
shows the direction of the wales 
and the places where the ones 
doubled up terminate. This is 
shown on one side and edge 
only, although the other side 
and edge would be the same. 
It is understood, of course, that 
the sleeve is shown opened up 
flat, and in being put on a 
garment would be doubled over 
and the edges joined on the 
underside of the arm. To re- 
duce the size from the forearm 
to the wrist or cuff it is usual, 
in sweaters, to depend on the 
change to the plain rib stitch, 
for as explained previously the 
plain rib will come out much 
narrow^er than the half or full 
cardigan with the same number of needles and the same yarn. 
In underwear and theatrical tights it is customary to fashion 
down the forearm to the cuff. 

Many knitters consider it good practice to reverse this 
formula in fashioning; that is, to start at the cuff in order to 
have the rack stitch on the end of the cuff to save the hand 




Fia:. 44. — Outline of Fashioned Sleeve. 



FASHIONED GOODS 55 



finishing. In this event the narrowing operation as described 
would be reversed, or a widening operation. 

This is done by pulling up the three end needles and pushing 
them down until the stitches drop off on to the decker, as in 
narrowing, but instead of setting these stitches in towards the 
center we would push up another needle and set them out one. 
This would leave the fourth needle without a stitch, so we 
would pick up the previous stitch, which had been cast off of 
what is now the fifth needle and raise it up and hook it over 
the fourth. This is done with one point of the decker. After 
having done this on both plates and on both sides of the 
sleeve, while we would have pushed four needles up into 
operation, we would have widened only two. 

Where it is not considered an advantage to have the widen- 
ing stitches show, this operation may be expedited quite a 
little by using the hook shown at b in Fig. 42, which is a 
convenient size to handle, about one-eighth inch in diameter by 
6 inches long. By this method we push up into operation the 
new needle and simply catch with the hook the previous stitch 
cast off of the end needle and hook it on to the new needle on 
the four corners as before described. It is best to do this one 
needle at a time with a course between, taking the one on the 
plate that contains the inside needle. 



CHAPTER VII. 
Automatic Flat Latch Needle Machines — Single Lock 

THE term "automatic" as applied to this class of machine 
means that all the changes are made automatically, as 
from plain stitch to half cardigan or full cardigan, or vice 
versa, changing colors to make striped work, making the rack 
stitch and back to plain rib, changing from rib to tubular or 
jersey stitch, making the French rack, etc. All these changes 
may be made at any predetermined place in the work without 
any attention from the operator. The machines discussed up 
to this point may be presumed to have been hand machines, 
that is, operated by manual power. Therefore, all changes 
of the stitch, yarn, racking, etc., may be done to advantage at 
the proper time and place by the operator as the machine 
requires his whole attention anyway. 

A prerequisite of an automatic machine is the operating 
of the machine by other than manual power, therefore auto- 
matic machines are first of all what are called power machines. 
This does not imply by any means that all power machines 
are automatic, but rather that all automatic machines are 
power machines. 

Fig. 45 shows an automatic single-lock machine built by 
Dubied & Co. in Switzerland, designated as Type VD. which is 
a very good example of the automatic machine. It is operated 
by the belt A, Fig. 46, which runs it by a pulley of the clutch 
type which is located back of the machine. The proper move- 
ment is conveyed to the carriage through a pair of sprockets 
and chain as shown in Fig. 46, at m. The carriage is con- 
nected to the driving chain at point m, by the connection rod n, 
which obviously must follow the chain back and forth around 
the sprockets. This arrangement gives the carriage a uniform 
movement during the time it is operating the needles and is 
generally conceded as superior to the crank system of driving. 
The letter G, Fig. 45, indicates the lever for throwing in 
the clutch to start the machine, and F is the crank for turning 
the machine by hand. This crank does not turn when the 
machine is run by power but hangs in the position shown. 
The letter S shows the main or controlling chain and 1 and 2 




Fig. 46 
Automatic IMechanism, Dubied Machine 



AUTOMATIC LATCH NEEDLE MACHINES 59 

indicate the racking chains. These will be taken up in more 
detail later. Letter B indicates an ingenious counter arrange- 
ment for counting the rounds, which permits the use of very 
short chains and will be explained in due course. H and K are 
yarn carriers, of which there are five altogether. The others 
are on the back and cannot be seen plainly. T is the yoke or 
bridge which holds the two sides of the carriage together. 
There is no physical connection between the two sides of the 
carriage at the point where the locks are attached, but the 
connection is made through extensions which can be seen, 
and through this yoke. 

On these machines the fabric is not held down by weights, 
hanging thereon, as in the hand machines, but by what is 
called a take-up roller which has means provided for adjust- 
ment to keep the desired strain on the fabric at all times. The 
weights which are in plain view are to hold the fabric up to 
and in close contact with the take-up roller through a frame 
with a small roller on the fabric side of the frame and the 
weights on the outside, which work on the lever and fulcrum 
principle. 

An automatic machine must have a pattern chain of some 
kind or character to operate its automatic functions. Means 
provided which will be explained in what follows cause the 
desired change to be made at the proper time and place. The 
machine under discussion has a main or controlling chain 
made up from wire links which may be taken out or added to 
at will, each link measuring about 6 inches crosswise of the 
chain and about one-half inch lengthwise of the chain. This 
chain is carried by a sprocket roller at the top and is held 
down on this roller by its own weight, though there are guards 
over each end to keep it from jumping off in case of emergency. 
This sprocket roller is turned the distance of one full link 
by the carriage depressing the lever J, and through this medium 
acting on the rocker shaft / (Fig. 45) which extends the 
length of the machine to the sprocket roller. The latter is in 
turn moved the distance of one link by a pawl and ratchet. 

In Fig. 46 we have a view of this main chain at S, with 
the levers on which it acts shown at a to h. These levers 
swing on a small shaft, at the point where they appear to end, 
near the center of the machine. Instead of ending there, each 
has an extension on the other side of this shaft which extends 
at an angle and reaches quite close to the chain. These levers. 



60 FLAT MACHINE KNITTING AND FABRICS 

though only about three-eighths of an inch wide, are arranged 
so the angular extensions underneath come in line laterally 
with each other and crosswise of the chain, or lengthwise of 
the machine, and they, together with the space between, cover 
practically the whole width of the chain. These levers swing 
freely crosswise of the machine, but are fixed lengthwise, 
therefore the positions of the upper ends can be very easily 
moved toward the front or back of the machine, but are 
stationary in the direction in which the carriage moves. 

Keeping this in our mind, we will now refer to the main 
chain shown in Fig. 46 at S. It will be noted that there are a 
number of studs affixed to the chain which project up above 
the chain proper. These studs may be put on at any desired 
spot and taken off at will. It is quite obvious that if we fix 
a stud on this chain at a spot in line with one of the levers, let 
us say at lever a, when the chain has moved forward to the 
point where this stud comes under the angular extension of 
the lever the position of the top of the lever would be changed. 
And this new position would be fixed until the carriage has 
been moved to the other end of the machine and turned the 
chain one more link. Then the lower end of the lever will 
drop off the stud and be returned to its former position by a 
spring. 

It is essential that the reader get these explanations of 
the different parts and their functions well fixed in his mind 
in order to understand intelligently the relation of one to 
the other. 

Fig. 47 is a drawing of the cams and cam plates, and Fig. 
48 shows the top of the carriage with the cams or locks mounted 
underneath. In the Dubied machine this part of the carriage 
on which the locks are fixed is detachable, and either side may 
be taken off separately, which arrangement is very convenient 
at times. At the left of Fig. 48 will be seen several slides, 
designated by small letters, which extend through the locks at 
different points between the cam plate and the carriage proper, 
and some on the top of the carriage. These are the essence of 
the automatic control of the stitch forming mechanism. This 
principle is followed in all automatic machines of this type, 
although the different builders vary in the details of construc- 
tion and in the methods of moving these slides, as well as the 
manner of operating on the cams and yarn carriers. 



a.a. -^-s- -f^ 



r ^ 




)> ^ 


^ o A 


^ /4 


—ft- 


•VJ 


^.o 


r, u-^ 


V- . 




ooZ. 






1 ■ 


Lioo 






. 




\ 






5. 3C. 5a. 3b. 4. 



10. <Z. 4b. 4a. 4c. 7 //, 




rig.47. G5. 75. '7<7. 

Cam Arrangement of Dubied Single Lock IVTachine. 




Fig. 48. — Top Side of Carriage Directly Over Locks or Cams, Dubied Single 

Lock Machine. 



62 FLAT MACHINE KNITTING AND FABRICS 

These slides make the proper cam or yarn guide changes 
by being pushed in or pulled out, as the case may be, and this 
is done by the levers indicated by the letters a to i, Fig. 46. 
Each slide is provided with a flat spot or shoulder, as indicated 
at m and o, Fig. 48, which pushes them in upon coming in 
contact with the proper lever as the carriage reaches the 
extreme left end and is clear of the needles. In order to have 
these slides moved in just the proper distance there are projec- 
tions from the carriage underneath the slides with beveled ends, 
part of which may be seen in Fig. 48 at k and i, which push 
the levers off the before-mentioned shoulders and release the 
slides at just the proper time. To explain the drawing out 
of these slides, it will be noted that each slide has an enlarged 
part or head and all have at least one right angled shoulder 
on the inside of the head ; some have two. 

It will also be noted that each one has under it a guard 
or extension from the carriage, which is fixed to the carriage 
and is stationary, as e and p. This extension also has an 
enlarged part or head on the outer end, but it is different from 
the heads on the levers in one respect, this head has sloping 
shoulders on both ends instead of the right angled shoulders 
that are on the inside head of the slides. Where a fixed guard 
or extension has a sloping shoulder on both sides (not ends) 
they will be found to be at different distances from the carriage. 

The right angled shouldered heads on the slides are made 
in this way so that when the proper lever (Fig. 46) is placed 
in its path, which is done by the studs attached to the main 
chain S, it will slide over the head and drop in back of the 
shoulder as the carriage moves to the left, and when the 
carriage moves to the right the lever catches on the shoulder 
and draws it out until the lever is released by being pushed 
out by the sloping shoulder of the extension underneath. When 
the fixed extension has a sloping shoulder on both sides at 
different distances from the carriage proper it will be found 
that the slide also has a right angled shoulder on both sides. 
This indicates that this slide may be moved to any one of three 
different positions, therefore has a choice of three different 
functions it may perform in the automatic changes. 



AUTOMATIC LATCH NEEDLE MACHINES 63 

Changing Stitch 

To make the changes from plain rib to half or full cardigan, 
or to plain jersey, etc., the slides have inclined planes under 
the cam plates and these engage notches or pins on studs 
extending through from the cams and by this means raise the 
cams up into the cam plate out of action, or let them down 
into action as the case may be. The illustration, Fig. 47, shows 
them all down in the proper position to make the plain rib 
or cuff stitch. 

To change to half cardigan stitch it would be necessary to 
raise cam Sb up out of operation, which is done by slide n. Fig. 
48, which in turn is moved to the proper position to accomplish 
this by the lever h, Fig. 46. This slide has three different 
positions, therefore three different functions to perform in 
the automatic changes, which are accomplished as follows : To 
make a half cardigan stitch a low stud (there are three heights, 
low, medium and high) should be placed so it will come under 
lever h. When this takes place the top end of this lever is 
moved to the position where it would engage the upper 
shoulder of slide ii, and on the return of the carriage it would 
draw this slide out to its farthest point, or until it is pushed 
off the shoulder by the taper on that side of the guard or 
extension p. When the slide is moved to this position it raises 
up and holds out of operation cam 35, thus causing the machine 
to make the half cardigan stitch. This should be readily 
understood from what has gone before. 

To change to plain rib stitch place a medium stud under 
the same lever (h) and its top position will be changed to 
where it will push the slide clear in as the carriage moves to 
the left. On the return movement the lever will engage the 
shoulder on the opposite side and draw it out until released by 
the guard as before. This releases cam 35, which drops down 
into working position. The fact that the sloping shoulders on 
each side of the stationary guards are at different distances 
from the carriage causes this slide, *??, to be left in different 
positions according to which side the lever h engages it. 

In the third change, which makes the French rack or false 
knop stitches, it is necessary to raise up out of operation the 
cams 35 and 3c. To do this a high stud should be placed to 
come under the same lever (h), which would then be moved 
to a position where it would come in contact with the shoulder r 



64 FLAT MACHINE KNITTING AND FABRICS 

(which is a part of the slide n) and would push the slide in 
until disengaged by another sloping guard which cannot be 
seen. When the lever drops back on to the chain without any 
studs under it it is clear of all slides ; therefore will make no 
changes. The other slides are moved in the same way as the 
one just explained, but each one has the part, which make? 
the changes, constructed in such a manner that it will operate 
that particular member of the locks for which it is intended. 



Changing the Yarn Carriers 

There is one other change that is made by these levers and 
slides besides the changes in the stitch, and that is changing 
the yarn carriers to make stripes of different colors. This is 
done, not by changing the yarn in the yarn carriers as one 
might imagine, but by providing a carrier for each yarn needed 
and then changing the carriers. These carriers are shown at 
letter k, in Fig. 46. They are not fixed to the carriage but are 
attached to a block which slides back and forth on ways or 
gibs which are shown at 1, 2, 3 and 4, and reach the length 
of the machine. The gibs are undercut on a bevel on both 
edges and the block is undercut in the same way, so they 
dovetail together to keep the block from lifting off, yet are 
free to slide back and forth on the gib. These blocks have a 
depression or are cut out on the upper edge with a square 
shoulder at each end of the cut out, and the carrier is moved 
back and forth by a plunger which is attached to the carriage 
and engages these shoulders. 

In Fig. 47, at letter x, are shown the plungers, and Fig. 48, 
letter x, shows them placed in the block and attached to the 
carriage. These plungers are set to pick up the desired yarn 
carrier by the slide, i, on the front, and slide, z, on the back. 
(Fig. 48.) 

Racking Chains 

We will leave the slides and levers for the present and 
give our attention to the two racking chains shown in Fig. 
49 at figures 1 and 2. Inasmuch as the rack stitch is made 
by a part of the machine entirely separate and distinct from 
the locks and carriage, that is, the needle plate, obviously it 



AUTOMATIC LATCH NEEDLE MACHINES 



65 



is necessary to arrange means other than the levers and 
slides on the top of the machine to do this automatically. The 
mechanism used to do the actual racking is illustrated in Fig, 
32. The illustration is accompanied by an explanation of the 
required movements. This racking cam may be seen in Fig. 
49 at letter R. Having in mind the former explanation it is 
evident that to control the racking it is necessary to control 
the pawls only which actuate the ratchet. This is done by 
the racking chains shown in Fig. 49. They of themselves do 
no actual racking, but simply put the pawls into action or out 
of action, as the case may be, at the proper time. These chains 




Fig. 49. — Racking- Chains and Cam, Dubied Automatic Single Loclv Machine. 



hang on a sprocket roller and are moved two links at each 
round of the machine by the same means as the main chain, 
and are started and stopped automatically by studs on the 
main chain at any predetermined time. There are also two 
levers over the top of each, and it is by means of these levers 
that they control the pawls which actuate the racking cam 
ratchet through small rocker shafts. 

It will be noted that the chains have studs attached, similar 
to the main chain, which are staggered or attached alternately 



66 FLAT MACHINE KNITTING AND FABRICS 

near both sides of the chain. As these studs pass under and 
raise a lever at the top of the chain they cause a pawl to act 
on the racking cam ratchet, thereby making one rack. 

When the carriage makes the next round the chain would 
have moved forward so the lever just mentioned would have 
dropped off its stud and the stud on the other side of the chain 
would move up to and under the second lever, which would 
cause the other pawl to act in the opposite way and therefore 
would rack the plate back to its starting point. If two or 
more racks in the same direction are desired, it would only 
be necessary to put two or more studs in line on the same 
side, but remembering that where this is done it is imperative 
that later the same number be placed on the other side so as 
to return the racking plate to its original position. 

Both of these chains do the same work and in the same 
manner, and either one may "be selected to do the racking at 
any time or place, but both should not and cannot be operated 
at the same time for there is a very ingenious arrangement 
which will stop the one automatically, if working, immediately 
when the other one starts. 

The reason for providing two chains instead of one is to 
enable the operator to make two different kinds of rack in 
one garment by setting the studs on one chain for let us say 
a one-needle rack, and on the other for a two-needle rack. This 
arrangement permits the use of very short chains, as the 
racked pattern may repeat itself on the chain any number of 
times, where if a single chain were used it would be necessary 
to have a chain long enough to have a stud for each time the 
plate racked, when two patterns are required, and this would 
necessitate the use of a very long chain at times. 

Some few years ago, when automatic machines were first 
brought out, all automatic functions were operated from a 
single chain. This meant the use of very long and unwieldy 
chains many times, as it was necessary to have a link in the 
chain for each round. It was soon realized that by stopping 
the chain during the time the machine was making one kind 
of fabric without a change, which on most work is by far the 
greater part, and operating it only when needed, not only much 
time and material in making up the chain would be saved, but 
also much annoyance and trouble in providing means to keep 
the chain from getting twisted or out of place while running 
would be eliminated. 



AUTOMATIC LATCH NEEDLE MACHINES 



67 



Control of Automatic Changes 

Most of the builders have devised means to do this and one 
of the best methods is the cylinder or drum idea devised by 
Dubied & Co., which is shown in Fig. 50. To more easily 
master the explanation of how this cylinder operates, it should 
be understood that its only function is to count the rounds and 
start the main chain at the proper point, the chain stopping 
itself after having caused the automatic changes necessary at 
that point. 

The device consists of a cylinder about 10 to 12 inches long 
by about 6 inches in diameter, around which are cut two spiral 




Fig-. 



-Counting- Drum for Short Chain Arrangement, Dubied Machines. 



grooves, the larger of which is used to attach stops and the 
smaller to act as a guide for the fingers i and j, which extend 
down into and run in the narrow groove and carry the whole 
block, including the forks k and I, forward or backward 
on the rods g and h, according to which way the cylinder is 
turning. 



68 FLAT MACHINE KNITTING AND FABRICS 

The cylinder is divided in its circumference by the lines 
into 1,000 divisions, and is turned the distance of one division 
each round of the machine by means of the roller on the lug o, 
which raises the lever a, which in its turn raises the pawl c, and 
its duplicate on the back, which cannot be seen. It can very 
easily be noted how the pawl c engages the outside ratchet and 
on being raised it would obviously turn the drum one tooth 
of the ratchet wheel. The back pawl operates on the center 
ratchet wheel and inasmuch as this ratchet wheel is cut the 
opposite way from the outside one, and the pawl is on the 
opposite side, it is plain that when the back pawl is in opera- 
tion the cylinder will turn backward. 

Both pawls raise each time the lever is raised, but only one 
at a time can engage the ratchets and the one which engages 
is governed by the stops A or £" on the cylinder. This is done 
by two guards, one of which may be seen at d, while the other 
would be between the back pawl and its ratchet, therefore this 
back pawl could not operate. 

These guards are mounted on a triangular or three-cornered 
frame which is pivoted at the center on the cylinder shaft with 
the guards mounted on the two lower corners, while the 
third corner is engaged by the lever n, which in turn is secured 
to the rod h. Now it is plain that if the bottom or base of this 
triangle is moved forward or toward the machine, the front 
guard would move under and disengage the front pawl while 
the back guard would move down and free the back pawl and 
allow it to operate on its ratchet wheel. 

Keeping this triangular arrangement in mind we will turn 
our attention to the block, of which the fingers i and j, and 
the forks k and I, form a part. As noted before there are 
three fingers extending down to the cylinder from the block, 
two of which (i and j) reach down to but do not touch the 
cylinder, while the third one, which is between these two, 
engages in the smaller of the two grooves. 

The block is constructed so it must move lengthwise of 
the rod as one piece, but each part is free to move laterally 
independent of another. The block is not fixed in any manner 
to the top rod and the only positive connection it has with 
the lower rod h is with a key in the center finger which 
engages in a keyway which is cut the full length of the rod. It 
should now be clear to the reader that so long as there is no 



AUTOMATIC LATCH NEEDLE MACHINES 69 

obstruction placed in the path of the center finger it will simply 
follow the small groove and gradually move over toward the 
right (if the front pawl is operating and the top of the cylinder 
is turning away from you) until it comes to the Stop, E, which 
it will be noted lies across its path. 

On account of the key in this center finger engaging the 
keyway in the rod h, it naturally follows that when the finger 
comes up to the stop E, the next movement of the cylinder will 
swing it away from you and this turn of the rod h, will swing 
the lever 7i, and through this will swing the triangle on which 
the guards d, are mounted, bringing the front guard d up 
under the front pawl and at the same time will free the back 
pawl on the center ratchet, thereby reversing the movement of 
the cylinder. 

Upon the return of the block to its starting point at the 
left end of the cylinder, its direction of movement is again 
reversed in the same way by the stop A. Stop A is set at 
division O and is never moved, but stop E may be placed at any 
number of the divisions corresponding to the number of rounds 
in the garment. This point will be taken up again further 
along. 

Now to give our attention to the side fingers i and j. These 
are constructed so that the left one, or i, will swing freely 
toward you but an attempt to swing it away from you will 
engage tbe fork k, which by contact would swing the rod (j, 
which through the connection / would raise the lever e, and 
this by a pull on the cord m would start the main chain in 
motion. The right finger ; works in precisely the same manner, 
only that it swings freely when moved away from you and 
starts the main chain in motion when moved toward you, by 
contact of the fork I with rod g. 

With the foregoing in mind it should hardly be necessary 
to explain that the stops C and D are for the purpose of putting 
the main chain in motion by coming in contact with the fingers 
i or y ; C to operate when the cylinder is turning the top away 
from you by tripping finger i, and D when it turns toward you 
by tripping finger j. It will be noted that the stops A and E 
have short extensions which extend forward along the side of 
the small groove. These cause the side fingers, i or j, to start 
the main chain at the same time that the direction of the move- 
ment of the cylinder changes. If for any reason this is not 



70 FLAT MACHINE KNITTING AND FABRICS 

desired, a stop like B may be used instead of these, and then the 
cylinder will reverse without starting the main chain. 

Going back to the setting of stop E, where the garment to 
be made has less than 1,000 rounds, it is customary to set 
this stop as well as the intermediate stops, like C and D, to 
make a complete garment on its forward movement and a 
second one on its return. But if the garment should have 
more than 1,000 rounds, let us say 1,500, then stop E would 
be set on division 750 and the small stops like C, which are 
for tripping the finger i, would be placed at the proper place 
to start the main chain for the automatic changes in the first 
half of the garment. The stops like D, which are for tripping 
the finger ./, would do the same for the last half of the garment. 

If there is no change to be made in the middle of the 
garment the knitter may avoid it by either one of two means ; 
either by using a stop like B, which will reverse the movement 
of the cylinder without starting the main chain, or by using 
a stop like E, which starts the main chain at the same time 
it reverses the movement of the cylinder, but in this event 
he must put in the main chain two extra links with a stud 
attached for stopping the chain immediately after starting 
without acting upon any of its automatic mechanism. 

If the fabric being made does not require the use of the 
cylinder all that it is necessary to do to stop it is to raise up 
the lever a, and draw the roller h out against the head of 
its stud. 

Control of Yarn 

Up to this point the yarn guides and carriers have been 
mentioned only incidentally so we will now take them up in 
more detail. Where there is only one thread and guide on a 
machine it is a very simple matter to control it but in the 
modern full automatic machines, where there are several 
threads and guides, and they must be arranged so that any one 
on a single lock machine, or any two on a double lock, may 
be selected at will, it becomes more of a problem. There is 
another point that must be taken inta consideration in con- 
nection with this. That is, in the automatic machines the 
carriage must travel the full length of the machine but much 
of the fabric made on these machines does not take the whole 
width. Therefore if the yarn carrier was carried the full 



AUTOMATIC LATCH NEEDLE MACHINES 71 

length with the locks there would be at the end of each course 
a considerable length of yarn, reaching from the edge of the 
fabric to the yarn carrier, which it would be very difficult, if 
not impossible, to draw back through the yarn guide. There 
must be no slack yarn between the edge of the fabric and the 
yarn guide when starting to knit across on a course. 

To obviate these difficulties the yarn carriers are attached 
to blocks which in turn are mounted on ways or bars which 
reach the full length of the machine and may be seen in Fig. 46, 
and are indicated by the figures 1, 2, 3 and 4 in white. This 
has been explained in part before, together with the manner 
of operating the carriers with plungers, but I wish to call 
the reader's attention to it again as it has a direct connection 
with what follows. 

To prevent the yarn carrier from following the locks to 
the end of their travel, and thereby accumulating yarn between 
the guide and the edge of the fabric, there is a stop placed at 
each end of the fabric to stop the carrier at the proper point. 
One of these stops may be seen in Fig. 49, at Q. This may be 
placed in any desired spot and is held in place by a pin which 
engages in one of the holes in the way or bar, which holes 
may be plainly seen. 

This stop consists of a base or block which slides on to the 
way on the dovetail principle. On the top edge of this base 
there is a thin strip about 4 inches long by about one-half inch 
wide, which is beveled down from the top to the bottom edge 
on both ends. When the carriage with the yarn carrier 
approaches this stop the carrier comes just under this top 
strip and the point of the strip comes just under the end of 
the plunger X, Fig. 48, also Fig. 52, which as explained before 
moves the yarn carrier. As the carriage moves farther along, 
the plunger slides up the incline or bevel of the strip and is 
jraised out of engagement with the shoulder on the yarn carrier 
block, and the carrier stops while the carriage completes the 
length of its travel. 

Upon the return of the carriage the plunger will slide over 
the strip on the stop, drop into the opening of the yarn carrier 
block, and engage the opposite shoulder and take the yarn 
carrier back with it on the return course, where it will be 
released on the other side in the same manner as just ex- 
plained. 



72 



FLAT MACHINE KNITTING AND FABRICS 



Yarn Take-Up Spring 

No matter how close to the edge of the fabric the yarn 
guide may be stopped, unless the yarn is kept taut the selvage 
will not be perfect, therefore a very insignificant appearing 
but quite important adjunct called the yarn take-up spring is 
provided to do this. There is one provided for each yarn guide 
and their position in relation to the machine may be seen at 
the top of the yarn stand in Fig. 45, while one is shown in 
detail in Fig. 51. The spring is a coil spring turned around 
the stud, /, and attached at the inner end. The outer end is a 
part of this spring straightened out as at b, with an eye turned 
in the end at d. 

By turning the top of the stud / away from you it will put 
more pull or tension on the spring, and by turning toward 




Yarn Stand and Take Up Spring. 



you less. The yarn is drawn from the bobbin, e, through an 
eye directly over the bobbin, then through a hole in the tension 
stud at a, then through an eye of the spring, then down through 
another eye in the stand at g, and directly to the yarn guide of 
the machine. The tension a prevents the spring from draw- 
ing any yarn from the bobbin, therefore it will always draw 
the slack yarn from the yarn guide and keep it taut at all times. 
There must be a take-up spring for each thread in use and 



AUTOMATIC LATCH NEEDLE MACHINES 



73 



that means that there are sometimes as many as eight or 
ten on one stand. 

We have had a drawing of the double lock in Fig. 40, show- 
ing the cam side with an explanation of how it works and its 
advantages, so now we will show only the top carriage side 
in Fig. 52, with its appurtenances for the automatic changes. 
Bear in mind that when slides or plungers are mentioned in 
the following explanation reference is made to Fig. 52, and 
when cams are mentioned reference is had to Fig. 40. 

Stitch Changes 

Slide o operates on cams lb and 4b to change from plain 
to cardigan, or vice versa, and is used in making the full 





S^M^^^k ^vrr , ^"" '*""****'"' "^1 i~ii ,..t ^~^ 



>! lil 




52. — Top Side of Carriage Directly Over Looks, Dubied Automatic 
Double Lock Machine. 



cardigan stitch. Slide b and g, working in conjunction with 
d and e, are for changing the length of stitch, which will be 
explained more fully later. Slides c and / are for changing the 
yarn carriers to change colors. The exchange of carriers at 
the end of each course in order to keep the cotton carrier 
feeding into the cams that are leading (where cotton and 
worsted or wool is used) is another matter and should not be 
confused with this. Slide h operates on cams 25 and 35 to 



74 FLAT MACHINE KNITTING AND FABRICS 

change from plain to half cardigan, or vice versa, also on these 
cams together with cams 2c and 3c to make the French rack 
or false knop. Slides i and j operate cams la, 2a, 3a and 4ft 
to make tubular work, or to be more explicit, they raise one 
pair of these cams up out of operation while the other pair knit 
only on one side alternately and in this way knit jersey fabric 
in tubular form. 

To go back to slides b and g, in order to understand this 
explanation it will be necessary to return again to Fig. 40. 
What are called the stitch cams, or cams 1 to 10, are attached 
to the cam plates through elongated slots, the ends of which 
may be seen at the top and bottom of the cams. The cams, 
though attached to the plate, may be easily moved lengthwise 
of these slots. On the under side of the plate is a coil spring 
with one end attached to a stud in the cams, while the other 
end is attached to the bottom edge of the plate. These springs 
will always draw the cams to the lowest end of the slots if 
nothing is placed in the way. Bear in mind that the bottom 
of the lower plate is the lower edge and the bottom of the 
top plate is the top edge, in the drawing. 

To change the length of the stitch it is necessary to raise 
or lower these cams. To draw a longer stitch they would be 
moved toward the bottom of the plate and for a shorter one 
toward the top. Now it -is clear that in order to change the 
length of the stitch automatically it is only necessary to pro- 
vide stops of the proper height for them to rest on when pulled 
down by the before-mentioned springs. The cam studs to 
which the springs are attached are long enough to reach up 
through the carriage proper and may be seen resting on the 
end of the pins II, Fig. 52. 

The reader of a mechanical turn of mind should be able to 
grasp the modus operandi of the automatic changing of the 
length of the stitch from the explanation up to this point, but 
to continue we will refer again to the pins indicated by the 
Roman numerals I, II, and III, Fig. 52. 

It will be noted that there are a set of three of these pins 
for each stitch or draw cam, therefore the knitter may change 
to any one of three different lengths of stitch at his option by 
raising or lowering these pins. The pins must of course be set 
individually at the proper height, each one for its own length 
of stitch, before starting the machine. 



AUTOMATIC LATCH NEEDLE MACHINES 75 

Inasmuch as all the pins on the front side are attached to 
one slide, and the pins on the back are attached to another, all 
that it is necessary to do to change the length of the stitch is 
to change the pins on which the before-mentioned cam studs 
rest, they being held down on the pins by the coil spring 
between the carriage proper and the cam plate. This is done 
with slides b and g, in conjunction with slides e and d, which 
raise the cams and studs up so they will not catch between the 
pins while the change is being made. In the meantime slides 
b and g move the desired pins to the position where the studs 
can drop on them when the slides e and d are returned to their 
running position, which position allows studs to drop on their 
respective pins, with the exception of the pair of cams at the 
extreme right, which are held up for one course. 

This is another ingenious and practical arrangement which 
deserves an explanation, but this leads us to another point 
which should be gone into first. That is, when the cams are 
changed to make a short stitch after having made a long one, 
the holding up of the right pair of stitch cams for one course 
is of no benefit. But in changing from a short stitch to a 
long one, inasmuch as the right pair of stitch cams pass over 
the needle butts before the new course is made, if they were 
allowed, preparatory to drawing a longer stitch in the next 
course, to drop down to a point below where the previous 
stitch was drawn, they would ride on the butts of the needles 
and cause undue strain on the stitches of that course and 
would be very liable to break them, thereby making holes in 
the fabric. This is prevented by holding up these two cams 
one course. This is done by providing two catches to receive 
and hold them when they are raised at the left of the machine, 
but when the carriage is moved to the extreme right of the 
machine the two small levers, I and k, come in contact with two 
studs and release the catches, and allow the two cams to drop 
down on their respective pins. 

It has been explained that in making what are known as 
cotton backs and like fabrics the cotton yarn, or yarn that must 
show on one side only, must at all times be fed in the locks 
that are in the lead, on a double lock machine, while the 
worsted or wool yarn which shows on the other side must feed 
into the following pair. To do this the yarn carriers must be 
exchanged at the end of each course. To explain how this is 
done we will refer to Fig. 52, where the plungers that engage 



76 FLAT MACHINE KNITTING AND FABRICS 

the yarn carrier blocks and moves them back and forth with 
the locks, are shown at x and ij. 

These plungers never take more than two carriers at one 
time. In these machines there may be four or more bars or 
ways for yarn carriers, and in the preceding explanation of 
how the yarn carriers are stopped we assumed that the carriers 
in question were being operated on the lower ways by the 
outside end of the plungers .r. For this present explanation 
we will assum.e that we are using the carriers on the top bar 
or way, and they would be operated by the end of the plungers 
towards the center of the carriage. 

It will be recalled that when the yarn carrier block comes 
to the stop at the edge of the fabric, the plunger is raised out 
of engagement with its shoulder, and the block stops while the 
plunger passes on. When the carrier block that is being moved 
across by the plunger in the lead stops, the one that follows 
will also pass over the block without moving it, as the outside 
end of the block is beveled off to compel this. 

It will be noticed that the inside ends of the back plungers 
at y are flattened, and the flat sides are at right angles to the 
travel of the carriage. Now we will assume the carriage is 
traveling from right to left, and the cotton carrier is being 
moved along by the plunger in the lead, or y on the left. When 
this carrier comes to the stop on the left this plunger leaves it 
there and passes on, also the plunger on the right will pass on 
over the carrier block. But upon the return of the carriage 
moving toward the right the first plunger coming in contact 
with the yarn carrier block, which would be y on the right and 
which would now be in the lead, would engage the shoulder of 
the block and take it across. 

It will be noted that the two front plungers are also 
flattened at x, but are different from the back ones in this 
respect; the inside flat is at right angles to the travel of the 
carriage while the outside flats are at an angle of about 45 
degrees. The yarn carrier operated on this side is stopped at 
the edge of the fabric with the plungers passing over and 
beyond it the same as the back one. But upon the return 
of the carriage the first plunger cannot pick up the carrier 
block as the side of the plunger coming in contact with the 
shoulder of the block is beveled off and cannot catch, but when 
the second plunger comes along with its flat side at right 



AUTOMATIC LATCH NEEDLE MACHINES 77 

angles to its movement, it will engage the shoulder of the 
carrier block and take it along. 

It may have been noticed in Fig. 45 that the machine illus- 
trated has two separate fabrics on it. This is done very often 
when a knitter has a large machine and has no wide work to 
make. He simply utilizes the greater part of the machine by 
making two narrow fabrics. 

When this is done both fabrics must be the same vertically 
or lengthwise of the fabric, but they may be of different widths 
and of different colors. This is made possible by the system 
of carriers and blocks mounted on ways together with the 
stops, as just described. 

There are two carriers mounted on each way or bar, instead 
of one as previously explained, and stops are placed at each 
side of both fabrics so the plungers, either ;?/ or a; or both, 
according to how many carriers are in use, will drop one carrier 
at the edge of one of the fabrics and pick up the other carrier 
to knit the course on the second fabric. 



CHAPTER VIII. 

The Automatic Widening Machine — Explanation of 
Mechanism Used 

WE have explained what fashioned work is and how it is 
done by hand. Fig. 53 shows a machine built by Dubied 
& Co., which does this work by widening the fabric 
automatically in the knitting operation. It is called an auto- 
matic widening machine, and is particularly adapted to making 




Automatic Widening' Macliine, r)ul.)iecl. 

sleeves. It overcomes the principal objection knitters have to 
making shaped work — that is, the extra labor involved, and has 
the advantages before-mentioned — namely, no material to be cut 
away to get the shape, a selvedge edge which means a small 
neat seam, and the proper shape for a proper fit. 



The Widening Device 

To the casual observer, the widening machine would look 
to be a very complicated piece of mechanism, but as a matter 
of fact the widening device is surprising in its simplicity. 



80 FLAT MACHINE KNITTING AND FABRICS 

Fig. 54 shows the principle of the method used. The drawing 
does not by any means reproduce the parts as made, but only 
shows the principle employed to secure these results, with all 
superfluous parts eliminated. 

The machine proper is a full automatic machine, practically 
the same as we have just finished with in the last article, with 
the exception of the needle plates and the needles that are used, . 
and the addition of the widening mechanism. The needle 
plates are made almost twice as wide as the regular plates, 
with a gib running through the middle of the lower part as 
shown. The needles used for the narrowest part of the fabric, 
and which are never used in the widening operation, are shown 
by the letter a in Fig. 56, and have one butt only as indicated 
at b. The needles used in widening have one butt at the same 
distance from the hook as the regular needles, as at c, and in 
addition to this they have a second butt at the lower end of 
the shank extension which reaches down under the narrow 
gib to the lower half of the plate, as indicated at d. 

The slot in the needle plate, at the lower edge, is cut all 
the way through the plate up to a point which would about 
equal the distance between the needles up in working position 
and the needles down. There are needle springs, shown at n 
in Fig. 54, below each needle which, when the needles are down, 
project just below the bottom edge of the plate, and when 
pushed up to hold the needles in working position would have 
their lower ends about where the lower butts of the widening 
needles are when down, as shown. The needle spring is shown 
in Fig. 56, at e, in its position relative to the needle, the upper 
portion at e fitting in the needle slot below the needle, while 
the lower part acts as a clamp on the under side of the plate. 

The lever shown at / in Fig. 54, together with the slide g 
and the stop h, is enclosed in a cast block and they, together 
with the yarn carrier stop i, move freely lengthwise of the 
small shaft e. There is attached to this block a cord q, which 
runs over the small pulley o with a weight attached as at p. 

It naturally follows that this weight would pull the block, 
lever, carrier stop and all, over to the extreme right if there 
were nothing in the way to stop it. The stop h is for this 
purpose. It is stationary in the block and extends up to the 
plate, while the slide g is cut back far enough to clear the lower 
ends of the springs n which are below the needles. 



AUTOMATIC WIDENING MACHINE 81 



Pushing Needle Into Working Position 

Inasmuch as these springs extend a trifle below the plate 
when the long needles are down and the stop h comes up in 
close proximity to the bottom edge of the plate, this stop will 
engage the left side of the spring and prevent the block, together 
with the lever / and slide g, from moving toward the right. 
Now in order to widen the fabric one stitch or wale it is 
simply necessary to push the needle r up into working position. 
This is done by moving the cam block, a, longitudinally, which 
would necessarily raise the lever d, which, through the rocker 
shaft e and lever /, would push the slide g, together with the 
spring n and needle r, up high enough to put this needle into 
working position. 

It should be understood that there are four of these widen- 
ing mechanisms as shown in Fig. 54, one on each end- of both 
front and back needle plates, but as they are all operated in 
the same manner it will be necessary to describe and explain 
but one. 

Now to explain how this is done automatically we will refer 
to Fig.- 55, which shows the cam side of the carriage of the 
automatic widening machine. It will be noted that on the ends 
of the four fixed extensions 51, 52, 53 and 54, there are rollers 
al to a4, attached with shouldered screws whose heads are 
flush with the end of the rollers. As we are dealing with only 
one we will select al, which is the one that would operate on 
the block a, Fig. 54, when turned over and placed on the 
machine. 

This roller is in the proper position to engage the cam 5 
(Fig. 54) when the carriage is at the right end of the machine, 
and when the carriage is at the end of its travel the roller would 
be at about the point B. 

It naturally follows that inasmuch as cam 5 is attached to 
the block a on an inclined plane, and the block a is attached to 
the frame of the machine in such a manner that it cannot move 
lengthwise of the machine, but may be moved freely in an 
up-and-down direction, when the roller moves through the 
camway between cam 5 and cam c the block must move upward, 
thereby pushing up one needle. Upon the return of the carriage 



82 



FLAT MACHINE KNITTING AND FABRICS 



the roller coming in contact with cam c will return the block 
to its first position. 

When the block a is moved down by the roller, after pushing 
up the needle, it must necessarily draw the slide g back to the 
position shown, and inasmuch as the lever / slides freely length- 
wise on the shaft e, and there is nothing to prevent, the weight 
p will draw all of this part of the mechanism over one needle 
or until the stop h comes in contact with the next needle 
spring 7?. 

Now, it should be understood that, as a rule, a fabric is not 
widened a needle each round, therefore the block a (Fig. 54) 
is arranged so it will drop below the plane of travel of the 









/t^ SS 



Under or Cam Side of Carriage, iJubied Automatic Widening Machine. 



roller «1 (Fig. 55) when widening is not desired. Perhaps it 
would be more correct to say that the normal position of block a 
is below the plane of travel of the roller ol, therefore out of 
operation and is raised up in the path of this roller by a stud 
on the widening chain A, Fig. 53, at the proper time to push 
the needle up into operation. Upon the return of the carriage 
it drops down to its normal position until another needle is to 
be added to the fabric. The position of the block a in Fig. 54, 
in relation to the rest of the machine, may be seen at B in 
Fig. 53. 



AUTOMATIC WIDENING MACHINE 83 

Returning the Needles 

As stated before, a fabric to be shaped on this machine must 
be started at its narrowest part, therefore when the garment 
or part of a garment is finished, these needles which have been 
pushed up to widen it must be returned to their lowest position 
where they are out of operation, in order to start a new piece. 



<tJi 



^ 





Fig. 56. 
Needles and Needle Springs Used in Automatic Widening- Machine. 

This is where the second and lower butts of the needles come 
into use. They are operated on by the cams cl to c4, and d\ to 
f/4. Fig. 55. 

These cams are arranged so that normally they are raised 
up in the cam plate and pass over the lower butts of the needles, 
but they may be lowered to operate the needles and raised 
again, all automatically, at the proper time and place by slides 
and levers similar to those described in a previous article on 
the automatic machine. The manner of returning the widening 
needles to their lowest position so they will be out of operation 
should be obvious to the reader after the foregoing explanations 
and a study of the illustrations. 

When the time comes to cast off these added stitches in 
order to start a new sleeve or fabric, the plate on which cams 
cl and f/l are attached is automatically lowered when the 
carriage is over to the extreme right. Then upon its return 
the lower needle butts of the widening needles will come in 
contact with the left side of cam c/l, and moving up over the 
top of this will, of course, raise the needles to a point where 
the latches are above the stitches. As the carriage moves 
farther along, and the butts come in contact with the left side 
of cam cl, they will slide down and cast the stitches off over the 
latch and hook, and at the same time be drawn down to a 



84 FLAT MACHINE KNITTING AND FABRICS 

point so low that the knitting or upper cams cannot operate 
on the upper butts. 

At the same time that the cams cl and dl are lowered to 
cast off and draw out of operation the widening needles, a 
plunger, which is attached to the carriage, drops down and 
engages a recess on the under side of the yarn carrier stop i, 
Fig. 54, and through the lug ./ moves the lever /, together with 
the slide g and stop h, back to its first position where the 
plunger is disengaged by an inclined stop. The stop h will 
hold this part of the mechanism in this place by contact with 
the first needle spring as explained before. 

It should be understood that while this explanation covers 
only one of the four corners that must have the needles pushed 
up to widen the fabric, the method applies to all of them. 
Also in the manner of casting off the widening needles and 
returning them to their lowest positions preparatory to starting 
a new fabric, we have confined ourselves to the right end of 
the front plate only in order to present the matter in the 
simplest possible manner. In actual practice the pair of cams 
on the left, indicated by c3 and f/3, together with c4 and d4, 
are put into operation first by a medium stud on the widening 
chain while the carriage is at the extreme left end. Upon the 
return movement of the carriage these cams would cast off and 
return the widening needles to their lowest point on the left 
end of both front and back plates. Immediately this is done 
the cams are released by means provided, and they again rise 
up into the plate out of the working position, thus passing over 
the right side widening needles without effect. 

After putting on one full round the cams dl and cl, together 
with cams d2 and c2, are put into operation at the extreme 
right end of the machine by a high stud on the widening chain, 
and these cast off and draw down out of operation the front 
and back widening needles on the right in the same manner 
as heretofore explained. 

Yarn Carrier Stop 

The reader will realize from what has gone before that 
when there are needles added to or taken from the edge of 
a fabric, while in the process of knitting on a machine, it 
would be necessary to arrange to change the stopping position 



AUTOMATIC WIDENING MACHINE 85 

of the yarn carrier in order to prevent it from stopping too 
far away from or too close in to the fabric as the widening 
operation progresses. This is done by the simple expedient of 
having the yarn carrier stop mounted on its bar or way so it 
will slide freely, and providing the lugs j and k, Fig, 54, on 
both sides of the lever /, so that it, with the lever /, and slide g, 
with stop h, will at all times move together. Therefore the 
needle on the edge of the fabric and the yarn carrier stops 
are always in the same relative position. 

If the reader has stopped to ponder on the working of this 
machine, with the resultant fabric, he may realize that there 
should be more pull or tension on the fabric during the last part 
of it than when it is started. As there have been needles added 
it is wider. This has been provided for so that by placing 
high studs on the main chain at the proper point they will 
increase the tension on the take-up rollers where and as much 
as needed. When the widening needles are cast off, and the 
width of the fabric is reduced to its narrowest portion, this 
extra tension may be automatically released and the pull reduced 
to the proper strain for the narrower fabric. 

These machines are made only in the double lock type, but 
there are means provided through the before described levers 
and slides to change automatically to single lock by raising one 
pair of the locks up out of operation. This is quite an 
advantage where one wishes to make some style of garment 
with a rack showing on both sides of the fabric such as the 
turned-up cuff on ladies' sweaters, etc. 



CHAPTER IX. 

Purl Stitch, or Links and Links Machine, for Hand or 
Manual Power 

THE purl stitch or links and links machine is a type which 
may be termed unique in the class of machinery built to 
make knitted fabrics. It is entirely a European develop- 
ment ; in fact, to my knowledge there had been none of these 
machines built in this country until some time after the war 
started, when it was impossible to import them. 

The chief individual characteristic of purl stitch machines 
lies in the fact that they have two needle plates, but only one 
set of needles, and the cams do not act directly on the needles, 
but act indirectly through what are called jacks. First we will 
try to get a thorough knowledge of the fabric this machine was 
primarily designed to make, and the stitch formation required 
to produce this fabric ; then the mechanism and movements of 
the different parts of the machine will be more readily under- 
stood as we proceed with the explanation. 

Character of Fabric 

Fig. 57 shows a photographic reproduction of the fabric 
with the top turned over to show both sides, which it will be 
noted are exactly the same. Fig. 58 is a line drawing showing 
the formation of the stitch ; the course that the yarn takes may 
easily be followed. This is called the purl stitch and is very 
popular with milady when making hand knit sweaters, children's 
suits, etc. 

If the reader will refer back to Fig. 12, he may be surprised 
to note how near this fabric is like the back of the jersey 
fabric, while the face of the jersey fabric is so different. I 
do not think that I should go very far wrong if I put this in 
the same class as the jersey fabric, the same as the half and 
full cardigan are classed as rib fabrics. It is made the same 
as the jersey on one set of needles, but with this difference : 
In making the jersey fabric the loop is always drawn through 
the previous loop in the same direction. That is, we will 
suppose we were making this jersey fabric on an ordinary flat 
machine, on the front plate only. In this case the loops would 



LINKS AND LINKS MACHINE 



87 



always be drawn toward you through the previous loops. Now 
if we should reverse every course the direction in which we 
draw these loops, or in other words, if we should draw them 
towards you when moving the carriage from right to left, and 
away from you when moving the carriage from left to right, 
and continued this reversal, we would make a purl stitch fabric. 
But, you say, how are we going to do this? The solution is 
the purl stitch or links and links machine, with its double 
ended needle, or a needle with a hook and latch on both ends 
to permit the whole needle to be pushed through the loop every 





Fig.se 



i'lain I'url Stitoh Faljric. 



Construction of the Plain Purl 
Stitch Fabric. 



course, thereby casting the previous loops off one end on one 
course, and off the opposite end on the next course. This 
system of knitting is such that there can be no obstruction 
to the free movement of the stitch over any part of the needle, 
therefore this fact precludes the use of a butt projecting up 
from any part for the cams to operate on, even if there were 
no other reason, which there is as the reader will understand 
after a study of the subject. 

This machine is constructed somewhat along the lines of the 
ordinary flat machine, which we have been studying. Its 
points of similarity are that the table or stand is the same, it 
has two straight, flat needle plates, it has a carriage which is 
moved backward and forward over the needle plates to 
operate the needles, and the cams or locks are practically the 
same as in the ordinary single lock flat machine. The main 



88 FLAT MACHINE KNITTING AND FABRICS 

points of difference are that on the purl stitch machine the 
needle plates are set so that they are flat, or both are on a 
horizontal plane, and the needle slots of both plates are directly 
in alignment with one another so a needle may move freely 
from the front to the back plate, or vice versa. The ordinary 
flat machine has the needle plates set at an angle of about 
90 degrees to one another, and 45 degrees to the horizontal, and 
they are set lengthwise so the ' needle slots of one plate are 
opposite the space between the needle slots of the opposite plate, 
or in a position so the needles of one plate will come up between 
the needles of the opposite plate. 

Another point of difference is that the purl stitch machine 
has one set of needles for both plates, with a hook and latch on 
both ends of each needle and no butts to operate them, while 
the ordinary machine has a set of needles for each plate with 
a hook and latch on one end only with a butt on the other end 
to operate it. It naturally follows that inasmuch as the needle 
plates are set flat, instead of at an angle to one another, and 
the needles are operated indirectly through what are called 
jacks instead of directly on butts on the needles, the construc- 
tion of the purl stitch machine must be somewhat different 
from the ordinary flat machine. 



Construction of Purl Stitch Machine 

Fig. 59 shows a general view of a purl stitch machine built 
by Dubied & Co. The letter a indicates the carriage, h the 
handle used to operate the carriage, and c is an auxiliary 
handle which some knitters like and use, while others take it 
off, preferring the use of handle h only. The letter i indicates 
the connection rod for the auxiliary handle; d is the racking 
handle for racking the back plate, which plate is made to 
rack over usually about 12 needles. The letter e is a sector 
of a circle attached to the frame of the machine and acts as 
a guide and a stop for the racking handle. This may be studied 
to better advantage in Fig. 60, at e. It has V-shaped notches 
cut at the proper intervals to correspond to the needle spacing 
with a V-shaped plunger attached to the handle so that when 
this plunger springs into one of the notches it brings the 
needle slots of the back plate into alignment with the needle 
slots of the front plate. 



LINKS AND LINKS MACHINE 



89 



The secondary handle d-1 is for releasing this plunger to 
permit the handle to be moved. It will be noted that there 
are holes in this sector, one back of each notch in the edge, and 
in two of these holes there are pins. These pins may be placed 
in any desired hole and act as stops for the racking handle and 
in this way save the operator the trouble of stopping to count 
the number of notches every time he racks, as on this class of 
work racking over anywhere from two to twelve needles at 
one time is common practice. 







^^M 




B 


c. 


^^^ - ^^ "C. 


7 

-J 


■■■■■5SJ!!"' !» »* - 'wn. 


L! , ^\- — ^«:.. 






t 




\_ W^ H 


mmmmfm- 


4 


V 




r 



Dubied Pui'l Stitch or Links and Linlvs Machine. Hand Power. 

To go back to Fig. 59, letter / is a counter for counting the 
rounds, g indicates two yarn carrier stops, one on each side 
of the bar or gib, while h and h are the yarn take-up frames 
and springs. Letter ./ indicates the two gibs or ways on which 
the carriage slides, and k is the bar for carrying the yarn 
carriers. 

Now to get an insight into the principle of the method of 
making this purl stitch we will first give our attention to 
Fig. 63, which is a line drawing of a needle and the two jacks 
which are required for each needle in their proper relative 
positions. 



90 



FLAT MACHINE KNITTING AND FABRICS 



How Needles Are Operated 

As will be surmised after looking at the drawing, the jacks 
are moved forward and backward by cams operating on the 
butts a and a, which project above the surface of the needle 
plate in the same manner as the cams operate on the needle 
butts in the ordinary flat machine. The jacks operate the 
needles by catching the hook of the needles in the clutches b 




i^ooking' i.)o\vn at Top of Purl Stitch MachiUf. 



and b of the jacks. These needles are simply passed, so to 
speak, back and forth across the throat, between the needle' 
plates, from one jack to the opposite one on each course, and 
in that way they reverse the direction of the draw of the loop 
on each course. 

We will now give our attention to Fig. 62, which shows 
the under or cam side of the carriage. It is understood, of 
course, that lengthwise of the carriage, or the direction of 
movement, would be what is crosswise or right and left in the 



LINKS AND LINKS MACHINE 



91 



illustration. It will be noted that the locks or stitch cam 
arrangement are, on the whole, practically the same as in the 
ordinary flat machine. This would apply to the cams and locks 
including a, h, k and g, also b, i, I and j. The bridges c and d 
are for another purpose. 




Top of Carriage, Dubied Purl Stitch :MaL'hiiie. 



It will be noted that while the stitch cams h and i, also g 
and ,/, are exactly opposite one another, the cams a and h are 
not. The bridges c and d have perfectly flat smooth surfaces 
except at points e and /, and here they have a concave portion 
about one-eighth of an inch deep. The space between bridge c 



92 FLAT MACHINE KNITTING AND FABRICS 

and cam k, also between bridge d and cam 1, is filled by the 
needle gib 1, Fig. 60, and its mate on the back, which cannot 
be seen, when the carriage is on the machine. The reader 
should carefully study the points just gone over, that is, the 




Under Side of Carriage With Cam System. Duljied Purl Stitch Machine. 



location of the cams a and b in relation to each other, and the 
bridges c and d with their concave spots e and /, in order to 
fully grasp their relation to the jacks and needles in the 
operation of the machine. 



LINKS AND LINKS MACHINE 




We will now give our attention to 
Fig. 60, where it will be noted that the 
front gib 1 is abnormally wide. The / 

back gib is the same, and inasmuch as 
it cannot be seen we will assume that it 
is also marked 1 and hereafter call it back 
gib 1. Just below the center, laterally, 
of the front needle plate we see a row 
of jack butts which are in working posi- 
tion. In the back plate we see jack butts 
in every slot but they alternate with 
three up in working position, and three 
down out of working position. It should 
be understood clearly that any jacks that 
are moved to the outer edge of either 
plate will not operate as they are out of 
range of the cam system, the same as in 
the ordinary flat machine. 

Let us now bring together the needles 
and jacks in Fig. 63, and the needle plates 
in Fig. 60. The butts of the jacks a 
(Fig. 63) are what we see projecting 
above the needle plates in Fig. 60. The 
hum.p c (Fig. 63) lies under the gib 1 
(Fig. 60). The reason for having this 
gib extra wide is to cover this hump 
during most of the knitting operation in 
order to keep the needle captive. The 
depth of the needle slot is just sufficient 
to allow this part of the jack to slide 
under the gib freely without any up and 
down play, therefore it follows that when 
the hook of a needle is caught in the 
clutch b, as in jack number 1 in Fig. 63, 
that needle must move backward and 
forward with the jack. When the jacks 
are moved forward to the point where the 
butts would be near or against the gib 1 
(Fig. 60) the hump c (Fig. 63) would be 
inside and clear of the gib 1, toward the \_ 

center of the machine, therefore the 
shank of the jack being narrower than at 




hi 



!2 ^ 



94 FLAT MACHINE KNITTING AND FABRICS 



the hump, a slight draw on the needle would free it from the 
jack as the clutch d, which holds the needle, is beveled off for 
this purpose. This being the case it follows that when the 
jacks are in this position the hooks of the needles may be 
easily pushed under and into the clutch b of the jacks. This 
is how the machine is filled with needles to begin with, or 
imperfect ones replaced with new. 

It will now be necessary to study Fig. 62 in connection with 
Figs. 60 and 63. Referring to Fig. 62, the space between the 
cam k and bridge c, also cam 1 and bridge d, as noted before, 
is occupied by the two gibs 1 (Fig. 60) when the carriage is 
on the machine. The bridges c and d (Fig. 62) come down to 
the needle plates and the surface we see is on the same plane 
as the under side of the gibs 1, Fig. 60. We have just had 
the statement that when the butts of the jacks a (Fig. 63) 
were moved up to the outside and close to the gibs 1 (Fig. 60), 
the hump c of the jacks would be just inside and clear of the 
gibs 1, therefore could be raised sufficiently to slip the hook of 
a needle in or out of the clutch b of the jack. This is true only 
at a time when the carriage is not over and operating the jacks. 

When these are moved up to this point by the cams the 
hump c of the jacks would come under the bridges c and d 
(Fig. 62), therefore could not raise up to release the needles 
except at the narrow concaves marked e and / in the bridges. 
These concaves, it should be noted again, are not opposite one 
another. The distance between the top or narrow part of 
cam a and cam b is such that when the butts of the jacks 
have moved up to this point the clutch b of both of the opposed 
jacks cover a hook of the needle. In looking at Fig. 62, the 
top half of the carriage would be the part covering the front 
needle plate and operating upon the front jacks, and the bottom 
half would do likewise on the back plate. When the carriage 
is at the left end of the machine, when making the purl stitch 
the needles should be in the front plate, and when the carriage 
is at the right end of the machine the needles would be in the 
back plate. This relative position is always the same when 
making the purl stitch. 

I have assumed that the reader understands that a jack 
and a needle together would, when in a normal position as 
shown by the butts in the front needle plate in Fig. 60, reach 
just to the throat between the needle plates. Having the 
different parts and their relative positions in our mind we will 



LINKS AND LINKS MACHINE 95 

now proceed with the modus operandi. We will assume that 
the carriage is at the left end of the machine, therefore the 
needles would be in the front needle plate and under the control 
of the front jacks, as the hooks would be in the clutch b (Fig. 
63) of these jacks, while the hump c being under the gib of 
the needle plate will not allow the needles to escape. To obviate 
some of the difficulties the reader may have in understanding 
this explanation we will assume that the carriage as shown in 
Fig. 62 is stationary, and the plates with their jacks and 
needles are the parts that are moved. 

The outline of the camway may be easily traced as it is 
practically the same as the ordinary flat machine with which 
the reader should be familiar and the action on the needles, 
through the jacks, is the same until they reach the first inside 
corner of the cam b. If the reader will take a straight edge 
and lay it on the illustration, he will find that this corner of 
cam b is just in line with the concave e in the bridge c, and 
also with the center of the flat portion of the cam a. This 
being the case, it follows that the center of the flat portion of 
the cam b must be in line with the left inside corner of cam a 
and the concave / in the bridge d. 

It should be understood that as the needles are moving 
across the throat between the needle plates, the stitch or loop 
opens the latches, and guards are provided to keep them 
open until the needles are ready to draw the new loop through 
the previous one. 

Now to return to v.'here we left the needles and jacks at 
the right inside corner of cam b. The jacks of the back plate 
have reached their innerm.ost position, and the heads or humps 
c (Fig. 63) lie under the bridge c (Fig. 62). At the point 
where the front jacks opposite are reaching their innermost 
position, the heads or humps c of the back jacks come under the 
concave e, which allows the hook of the needles, just coming 
forward from the opposite plate, to raise up the head and 
enter the clutch b of the jack. As they move farther to the 
left, the heads of these back jacks are under the plane surface 
of the bridge c, which secures the needles to these jacks. As 
the jacks start to move back toward their outermost position, 
the heads of the jacks of the front plate are under the concave 
/ of bridge d. This allows the needle hooks of this end to 
draw out and release themselves from the jacks of this side, 
and be drawn through the loop to the back plate, and by this 



96 FLAT MACHINE KNITTING AND FABRICS 

means to cast the previous loop off from the back plate toward 
the front one. 

Upon the return from left to right, the needles are ex- 
changed from the back plate to the front one in the same 
manner, only of course, the action is just opposite to that just 
explained. Therefore, the needles would pass through the loop 
from the back to the front plate, and cast off the previous 
loop from the front plate toward the back one. This would 
make the purl stitch. 

While the machine was designed primarily to make this purl 
stitch, there can be made on it a larger variety of stitches than 
on any other machine, but in general practice the stitches 
made are limited as a rule to the purl, jersey and plain rib, 
1 and 1, 2 and 2, etc. The term 1 and 1 rib means one needle 
in each plate alternately. The term 2 and 2 rib means two 
needles together alternating in each plate without a needle 
working between the two from the opposite plate. It is also 
possible to make the half or full cardigan stitch. 

The jersey stitch may be made by one of two methods. 
First, when the needles are all in one plate move the jacks in 
the other plate to their outermost position, where the cams 
of that side cannot operate on them and the needles will stay 
on one side as there are no jacks operating on the other side 
to take them across. Second, by moving the handle b, Fig. 61, 
to the left. By doing this we would draw the cams ff and b 
(Fig. 62) up into the cam plate out of working position, 
therefore the jacks would not move to their innermost position 
so the needles would not move far enough forward to meet 
the opposite jacks and could not be taken over into the opposite 
plate. This system of being able to operate any number of 
selected needles, or all of them, on either the purl or jersey 
stitch, either alone or in combination with the rack, is the base 
or principle used to make practically all the designed or pattern 
work produced on the ordinary purl stitch machine. 

Fig. 61 shows the top side of the carriage. The letter a 
indicates the handle for operating the carriage ; b is the lever 
for changing the stitch from purl to jersey, or vice versa, by 
raising out or putting into operation the cams a and b, Fig. 62. 
The letter c shows the lever for changing yarn carriers while 
f/l and (12 are the slides for changing the length of stitch. This 
change is made the same as has been explained for the ordinary 
flat machine ; that is, by shifting the stops, of which there are 
three for each stitch cam or six on each of the slides dl and r/2. 



CHAPTER X. 



Designs on Plain Purl Stitch Machines — Automatic 

Jacquard Type — Details of Jacquard-Designing 

ON Jacquard Machine 

FIGURES 64, 65 and 66 show some of the design effects 
which may be made on the links and links system of knit- 
ting. Fig. 64 is a basket weave design. To make this we 
will assume that the machine is set up, that is, has work on 
it, with the carriage at the left end of the machine. Then all 
the needles would be in the front plate. The back plate should 
be racked to its last position to the right. The last working 
jack in the back plate, left end, should be opposite the last 
needle in the front plate, but in the right end of the back 
plate there should be 8 jacks more than needles in the front 
plate. Now starting at the right, count eight jacks, which 
leave in operating position ; then 
draw five back out of operating 
position ; leave eleven in opera- 
tion, and drawn five out. 
Alternate in this way with 
eleven in work and five out for 
the length of the work. 

After doing this the position 
of the jacks would be similar to 
those shown in the back plate in 
Fig. 60, except that that illus- 
tration showed three in and 
three out, while we would have 
eleven in work and five out in 
the present instance. The three 
rules marked m, shown in Fig. 
60, are used for this purpose. 
They save the time of counting 
the jacks and drawing them 
back one or two at a time. Ry 
the use of one of these rules, 
properly cut, all of the jacks to be put out of operation may be 
moved back in one sweep. 




Basket M'eavc Design Made on Purl 
Stitch Hand Machine. 



98 FLAT MACHINE KNITTING AND FABRICS 

To go back to our design, set the pin shown in the arc e, Fig. 
60, to stop the racking handle at eight needles, put on six 
courses or three rounds, stopping with the carriage on the 
left, which will leave all the needles in the front plate, and 
rack the back plate to eight needles to the left. Put on three 
more rounds and rack the eight needles to the right, and 
continue doing this. 

It should be understood that the back plate should never 
be racked over more than two needles except when all the 
needles are in the front plate. I have previously explained that 
when the cams are set for purl stitch, if the jacks are in the 
operating position in both plates we would make the purl 
stitch, but in any place where the jacks were drawn back out 
of operating position in one plate, in that place the needles 
would at all times stay in the opposite plate and knit the plain 
jersey stitch. 

Now in this basket design we have in the back plate, dis- 
regarding the first eight jacks, five jacks that are not operating 
alternating with eleven that are. Therefore, the first three 
rounds would make purl stitch on eleven needles alternating 
with five making plain jersey stitch. 

When we rack the plate over eight needles we find that the 
five slots with the non-working jacks of the back plate are just 
opposite the middle five needles of the eleven that have been 
making purl stitch, and are, of course, at the time of racking 
in the front plate. We also find that the five needles that have 
been making the jersey stitch in consequence of having been 
opposite the five non-working jacks in the back plate, are now 
opposite the middle five of the eleven working jacks of the back 
plate. Therefore it is plain that these five needles would make 
purl stitch for the next three rounds, while the middle five 
needles of the eleven that were making purl stitch would make 
jersey in the next three rounds. There are always three needles 
on each side of the five that are racked over that purl stitch 
all the time. 

Two and Two Rib 

Fig. 65 shows two designs the lower one being very simple. 
With the carriage on the left end of the machine arrange the 
jacks in the back plate two and two, or two in working position 



PURL STITCH DESIGNING— HAND— AUTOMATIC 



99 



and two out. Then move the carriage across to the right end 
of the machine and we will find that the needles have arranged 
themselves to conform to the arrangement of the back jacks, 

alternating two and two in both 
needle plates. Now move the 
handle b, Fig. 61, to the left and 
this will raise cams a and b, 
Fig, 62, up into the cam plate 
out of operation, thus prevent- 
ing the jacks from moving to 
their innermost position. There- 
fore, they cannot exchange 
needles and so would make a 
two and two rib fabric, knitting 
this continuously without any 
further change. 

The upper half of Fig. 65 
is made by arranging the jacks 
in the back needle plate so that 
five will be in working position, 
alternating with five out. With 
this arrangement of the jacks, 
and without any further ma- 
nipulation, the machine would 
Icnit a straight vertical stripe of five needles purl stitch and 
five needles plain jersey stitch. If, however, we rack the 
back needle over one needle every round when the carriage 
is at the left end of the machine, and all the needles are in 
the front plate, for five rounds we would have these stripes 
running diagonally instead of vertically, and the distance they 
would run to the right or left, depending on which way we 
racked, would depend on how many times we racked in one 
direction. In this instance it would be for seven rounds, or 
rather we would rack over in the one direction every round 
for six rounds, and on the seventh we would rack the plate 
back the five needles at once. Then start over racking the 
other way one needle each round as before to make the second 
row of diagonal blocks. This racking back of five needles at 
one time would of course bring the non-working jacks to the 
position where the working jacks were, and the working jacks 
to the position where the non-workng jacks were. Therefore, 




Diagonal Diamond Design 
and Two and Two Rib Made on 
Hand Purl Stitch Machine, 



100 FLAT MACHINE KNITTING AND FABRICS 



the needles that were knitting the purl stitch would begin 

making plain jersey, while the needles that were making plain 

jersey would now make purl stitch. 

Fig. 66 is simply a two and 

two rib stitch racked over two 

needles every four rounds. This 
racking over two needles with 
needles in both plates may be 
done successfully if the stitch 
is drawn fairly long. 

Automatic Jacquard Power 

Purl Stitch Machine 
The automatic links and 
links or purl stitch machine is 
what the name would imply; 
that is, a machine which makes 
the changes in the stitch and 
yarn carriers automatically. The 
word jacquard added to this 
would convey to the mind of 
a person familiar with textile 
processes the fact that the ma- 
chine automatically makes de- 
signs or patterns in the process 
of knitting. 
Fig. 67 shows a Dubied machine of this type which in 
general appearance resembles their automatic power flat 
machine. It has the same drum device for counting the rounds, 
indicated at d, with a chain drive somewhat similar to the flat 
machine, though with this difference : The carriage is con- 
nected directly to the chain through a cross head which slides 
on two rods, instead of through a connection rod. We have 
the main chain, at e, on this machine as on the flat machine, 
but it is placed on the right end instead of the left. The 
racking chains which are on the flat machine are not needed 
on this machine, therefore are dispensed with. 

On the ordinary purl stitch machine a large part of the 
designing is done by a combination of selected jacks in con- 
junction with the rack; therefore it is desirable to have such 
a machine built to rack over quite a number of needles. With 
this machine the designs are made on the jacquard system,. 




Two and Two Rib Racked, Made on 
Purl Stitch Machine. 



PURL STITCH DESIGNING— HAND— AUTOMATIC 103 

therefore this extreme racking is not required and the machine 
is built to rack but two needles. At a and b in Fig. 67 will be 
noted two cylinders with grooves cut on a long spiral. They 
are mounted on a small shaft which acts as a bearing upon 
which they turn. These operate the jacquard system and 
should be kept well in mind as they will be referred to later. 
The letter c indicates the carriage, which is shown, top and 
bottom, in detail in Figs. 69 and 70. 

Fig. 69, it will be noted, is the same in the general layout 
of the cam system as shown for the hand machines in Fig. 62, 
in the last article. The upper locks would operate on the 
front plate and the lower ones on the back one. There are 
two main points of difference : The cam x, which must be used 
in connection with the cards of the jacquard system and which 
will be taken up in detail in due course, and the levers s and t 
which raise the stitch cams that are in the lead and lower 
the ones that follow and form the stitch at the end of each 
course. This is done to take all undue strain off the stitch. 

It will be noted in the illustration that the left stitch cams 
are raised and the right ones lowered preparatory to putting 
on a course by moving the carriage from right to left. At 
the left end of the machine the position of these cams is 
reversed for the return course. This is done by a pin set at 
both ends of the two plates which act on the levers s and t. 
Then we have the extensions of the slides. Numbers 1 and 3 
are for changing the length of the stitch. Slides 2 and 5 are 
for raising and lowering cams a and b to change from purl to 
plain jersey stitch, or vice versa. The manner of doing this 
and the action of these cams on the needles and jacks have 
been explained. 

Slide 4 puts the plunger y into and out of operation. This 
plunger operates the jacquard system by entering the spiral 
grooves of and turning the cylinders a and b, Fig. 67. The 
four slides marked 6, Figs. 69 and 70, are for changing the 
yarn carriers, of which there are four. The four small parts 
indicated by the letter m, Fig. 69, are latch openers, which are 
essential as the machine cannot be operated when the latches 
are closed. We would be unable to move the carriage across 
the machine when there was no fabric on the needles to open 
the latches, without these latch openers. 

The small slide indicated at 7 is for changing the position 
of the cam x, swinging on a pivot screw at z, which may be 



PURL STITCH DESIGNING— HAND— AUTOMATIC 105 

moved to any one of three positions. These are the position 
shown, or horizontal with the lower edge of, and on a line 
with the lower edge of cams 2v and r, or it may be swung down 
to a point where the end will be at the lower edge of the cam 
plate at v. The three positions of this cam should be firmly 




Top Side of Carriage of Automatic Jacquard Purl Stitcli JMachine. 



fixed in mind, as they have an important part to play in the 
jacquard work. 

We will now give our attention to Fig. 68, which 
represents a cross section of the needle plates, showing 
a pair of jacks and a needle in their respective slots or 
tricks. Letter a indicates the back plate and b the front one. 



106 FLAT MACHINE KNITTING AND FABRICS 

The back jack c is shown in its outermost position, therefore 
would be out of operation, while the dotted lines at h show 
its innermost position ready to receive the needle from the 
opposite jack. Letters e and / indicate the gibs which cover 
and hold down the heads of the jacks at all times except when 
they are at their innermost position ; when they are in this 
position they are under and held down by the bridges or winkles 
c and d, Fig. 69, and are permitted to rise only at the concaves 
e and / where the exchange of needles takes place. Letter g, 
Fig. 68, indicates the needle, and iis a vertical projection, called 
teeth, which are between the needles and act as sinkers for the 
needles to draw the loops over. 



The Jacquard Mechanism 

The jacquard system of designing is simply a method of 
providing means to select and put into operation any desired 
needle or needles at any predetermined place in the fabric. The 
mechanism to do this is shown in Fig. 68. The letter I indicates 
a four cornered star shaped bar called the card cylinder, which 
is the length of the needle plate. The letter ./ indicates what 
are called cards and are also the same length as the needle 
plate and as wide as one side of the card cylinder. These are 
made from either thin sheets of steel or from stiff strong paper 
board, and are attached to one another by rings or other 
means so as to form a continuous band around the card 
cylinder. The illustration shows ten of these cards, but the 
number used depends on the design being made, for there is 
one card for each round in the design. 

To return to the card cylinder I, this is mounted on a shaft 
which is supported by two uprights or arms, one at each end, 
shown by the broken lines at n, which in turn are attached 
securely to the rocker shaft m. This arrangement permits the 
card cylinder to be swung forward to the needle plate and 
back to the position shown at any predetermined time or place. 
As noted before, the back jack c is out of working position^ 
therefore as long as it stays in this position the needle would 
operate in the front plate only and make a plain jersey fabric. 

If, when the carriage is at the left end of the machine, we 
should swing the card cylinder with the blank card j. No. 1 
(which is a card without any openings in it) up to the needle 



PURL STITCH DESIGNING— HAND— AUTOMATIC 107 

plate, it would push these back jacks up into working position 
and on the next course the needles would cross over into the 
back plate and make the purl stitch. Now bear in mind that 
the basic principle of designing of this character is in making 
the design of one stitch and the ground of the other. It is 
quite obvious that if we provide means to sweep all the back 
jacks to their outermost positions and out of operation every 
time the carriage is moved from the right to the left end of 
the machine after having passed the needles across to the front 
plate, then swing a card with holes cut through at certain 
intervals up to the needle plate, those jacks that come into 
contact with that part of the card that is intact would be 
pushed into working position, while those that were in front 
of the openings or holes would pass through and not be 
affected. Therefore, on the next round the needles opposite 
these would make the jersey stitch, while all the others would 
make purl stitch. On the last course of the round from right 
to left the jacks would be swept back out of operation, the 
card cylinder I would be turned a quarter turn, bringing 
another card opposite the needle plate, and another and perhaps 
different lot of jacks selected for the next round. 

The card cylinder is turned the quarter turn when the 
carriage is approaching the right end of the machine by the 
plunger y, Fig. 70, engaging the spiral in the cylinder b, Fig. 
67, and the cards are moved up to the needle plate when the 
carriage approaches the left end of the machine by this same 
plunger engaging the spiral in cylinder a. 

At k in Fig. 68, is shown the face of a portion of a card 
as it might be cut. Beginning at the opening at the left, the 
heels of three jacks would pass through this. The space next 
to the right, being intact, would push six jacks into operation ; 
and so on throughout the length of the fragment of the card 
shown as indicated by the figures. This drawing was made 
to represent a card to be used on a needle plate cut eight 
needles to one inch, and while the scale is cut down somewhat 
in the reproduction the proportions would remain the same. 

Now as to the means provided to make the changes shown 
as necessary we will refer again to Fig. 69, and to the cam 
marked x. As stated before, this cam may be swung on the 
pivot screw z, automatically, to any one of three positions. 
When it is in alignment with cams iv and r it has no effect, 
as when the jacks are in their normal knitting position the 



108 FLAT MACHINE KNITTING AND FABRICS 

butts will pass just above and when they are out of working 
position they will pass just under these three cams. Now it 
will be noted that cam x is placed at the extreme right end 
of this lock or set of cams, in consequence of which it must 
always be put into operation when the carriage is at the right 
end of the machine, and it performs its functions as the carriage 
is moved to the left and after the stitch formation of this 
course is completed. 

The cam is moved into the desired position by the slide 7, 
which comes in contact with movable stops at either end of the 
machine. When the jacquard system is in operation this cam 
would be moved to the position shown in the illustratioin while 
the carriage was on the right, consequently as the carriage 
is moved to the left end of the machine the needles in the back 
plate would be passed to the front plate and immediately after 
this the back jacks would be swept out of the operating position 
by this cam. 

When the carriage reached the left end of the machine this 
cam would be moved down in alignment with cams lu and r, 
so would be in the position that would not make any change in 
the position of the jacks. 

In making some kinds of work it is desirable to put all 
the back jacks in and out of operation at certain times. We 
have just explained about putting them out of operation. To 
put all of them in the working position without using the 
jacquard the before mentioned movable stop comes in contact 
with another slide just under slide 7, when the carriage is 
moved to the right end of the machine, and this slide will 
swing the point of cam x to its lowest position at v, and in this 
position, as the carriage is moved to the left, it will sweep 
all the back jacks into working position ready for the next 
course. As the carriage finishes its travel to the left, the stop 
at that end would of course move this cam to its neutral point. 

I assume that the reader understands that the stops and 
levers that cause all these automatic changes are controlled 
by studs attached in their proper places on the chain e, Fig. 67, 
which in turn is controlled by the drum d. 

We will now take up in more detail the action of the cards 
and the mechanism provided to actuate them. As stated before, 
when making a design by this system the card cylinder, together 
with the cards, is moved up to the edge of the needle plate each 
round. Referring to Fig. 67, at a-1 there is an eccentric 



PURL STITCH DESIGNING— HAND— AUTOMATIC 109 

attached to the movable cylinder a, and there is a connection 
rod from this eccentric to the small shaft o, Fig. 68. Therefore, 
when the plunger y, Fig. 70, enters the spiral groove and 
moves the length of the cylinder a, Fig. 67, the cylinder turns 
about half way round, which of course turns the eccentric a-1, 
and this moves the card .?", No. 1, Fig. 68, up to the needle 
plate. As noted before, any part of this card that has holes 
in it could not push those. jacks Opposite into working position, 
while that part of the card which remained intact would put 
the jacks opposed to it in work. Upon the return of the 
carriage it turns the cylinder a, Fig. 67, back to its first posi- 
tion, which movement would of course move the cards away 
from the needle plate again. The cylinder b is actuated in 
the same manner as cylinder a as the carriage reaches the 
right end of the machine, but its function is to turn the card 
cylinder a quarter turn each time in order to bring a new 
card into position for the next round and make that part of 
the design. 



How Designing Is Done 

Having explained the theory of making designs on the 
jacquard system we will now show in detail how it is done in 
actual practice. With the jacquard system there is no limit 
or end to the designs that may be made, as there is with the 
other systems used on knitting machines. 

Fig. 71 is a photographic reproduction of a design made 
on this machine. The reader who has studied well and 
thoroughly digested what has gone before will realize that this 
design could not be made in any other way, on a machine of 
this type, without an expenditure of time and labor which 
would be far beyond the bounds of practicability. 

The designer will first sketch out his design on a piece of 
plain paper, then take a piece of cross section paper and lay 
it down as illustrated in Fig. 72. This is the layout of the 
design shown in Fig. 71. Each of the crosswise rows of 
squares represents one round or two courses, and each of the 
vertical rows represents a wale or needle. In other words 
each one of the squares in a crosswise row represents a 
needle or the loops in one round, and each one of the succeeding 
squares represents that same needle in the succeeding rounds. 



110 FLAT MACHINE KNITTING AND FABRICS 

Now to cut the cards we would start with No. 1 and cut 
them consecutively. Referring to Fig. 72, the blank squares, 
or the spaces in the cards these represent, should be cut out, 




Design Made on Automatic Jacquard Purl Stitch Machine. 













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Fig-. 72. — Layout of Design Sliown in Fig. 71. 



and the squares marked with an x would remain intact. Start- 
ing at the right side, one needle space is not cut out; then 
sufficient space to cover three needles or jacks is cut out; 



PURL STITCH DESIGNING— HAND— AUTOMATIC 111 

then the space of eleven jacks is left intact, then three cut 
out. This is the full width of the first round of the design, 
therefore this cutting would be repeated until it covers the 
desired width of fabric. Card No. 2 would be cut as follows: 
One space cut, one left intact, three cut out, nine left intact, 
three cut out, and one left intact. This should be repeated as 
with No. 1 card. Each card thereafter should be cut according 
to the marking of the cross section paper, and numbered as cut, 
so as to avoid trouble in assembling them in their proper order 
when finished. 

It should be understood that the part of this layout from 
the right side to the dotted line is the complete design, and 
all to the left as well as above and below, would be a duplicate 
of this. 

After these cards are put on the card cylinder, attached 
like an endless belt, and the machine is in operation, when 
card No. 18 has finished the last part of the design, card No. 1 
will start immediately in the next round on its part of the 
design. When it comes to card No. 6, that square will have 
been completed, and a new square in the center section will 
have been started. 

The two-tone color effect is made by using two different 
colored yarns and using a plating yarn carrier. This throws 
one color on the face in the jersey stitch and the other color 
on the face in the purl stitch. 



CHAPTER XI. 



Flat Latch Needle Automatic Narrowing Machine 



THE flat latch needle automatic narrowing machine as built 
by Messrs. Claes & Flentje is shown in Fig. 73, and a 
piece of fabric from this machine narrowed down four- 
teen needles is shown in Fig. 74. This machine is quite com- 
plicated when compared with any that have been taken up 
before, but those who have studied what has gone before care- 
fully, especially that part treating on fashioned garments and 
how they are made by hand, should have no trouble in under- 
standing the principles and movements necessary to do this 
work automatically. 

The machine shown is really 
four separate and complete units 
mounted upon one frame or 
stand and driven by one belt, 
with the automatic movements 
operated from one control. It 
is evident from this that the 
garments or parts of garments 
made on each one of these four 
units must be the same, or 
rather they must have the same 
number of rounds with the 
same number of needles nar- 
rowed down, but they may be 
made from different yarns both 
in kind and color. 

There are four points that 
should be understood to begin 
with: First, the machine is 
operated by power. Second, the 
power is transmitted to the driving pulley on the machine at 
all times when the machine is being operated. Third, the 
knitting mechanism must be stopped while the narrowing 
mechanism is in operation. Fourth, the narrowing mechanism 
must be at rest during the time the knitting mechanism is in 
operation. 




Fabric: Narrowed Down on Automatic 
Narrowing' ilachine. 




Changing Mechanism on Right End of Automatic Narrowing Machine. 



AUTOMATIC NARROWING MACHINE 115 

We will first show how it is arranged to automatically stop 
one part of the machine, say the knitting operation, and put 
the narrowing mechanism in work, and after this part has 
performed its functions or narrowed down one needle on each 
needle plate, front and back, how it is stopped until time to 
narrow again, and the knitting parts set in operation. 

Fig. 75 is a view of the right end of the machine, and it 
is here that the driving mechanism is located, also the auto- 
matic controls. The number 1 indicates the belt and pulley 
which drive the machine. The pulley is mounted loose upon 
the shaft and operates the machine through a clutch which is 
thrown in or out, as the case may be, by the handles marked 
X in Fig. 73. The number 13 (Fig. 75) indicates a plain 
balance wheel on the outside end of the shaft. 

When the clutch is in, the driving wheel on which the belt 
1 runs will of course turn the shaft 2, on the other end of 
which there is a small spur gear which drives the large gear 
3. This large gear is automatically connected with, and dis- 
connected from the crank wheel 5, which wheel drives the 
knitting mechanism through the connecting rod 6 and lever y, 
Fig. 73, whose fulcrum is at s, and is connected to an extension 
of the carriage at r. The lever y comes up between two ways 
or slides, on which is mounted a crosshead at the end of this 
extension, and where the lever connects at r, to keep the exten- 
sion in alignment with the carriages. 

Referring to Fig. 75, when the machine is being operated 
the following parts are always in motion : The driving wheel 
1 with the shaft 2, together with the small spur gear on the 
end of the shaft 2, which cannot be seen but drives the large 
gear 3, also the large gear 3 with the shaft upon which it is 
mounted, which may be seen running behind the vertical 
connecting straps toward the right of the illustration and 
terminates back of the large bevel gear 4. Upon this end of the 
shaft there is mounted a small bevel or pinion gear to drive 
the large bevel gear 4. 

Now then let us understand that the crank wheel 5 operates 
the knitting mechanism of the machine, and the bevel gear 4, 
through a shaft which runs the entire length of the machine 
with a series of cams mounted on it, operates the narrowing 
mechanism. We have seen that the driving parts from the 
driving pulley 1 on the back of the machine, over to and 



116 FLAT MACHINE KNITTING AND FABRICS 

including the large gear 3, and back to and including the small 
bevel gear which drives the large bevel gear 4 are in motion 
at all times while the machine is in operation. The gear 4 is 
engaged with the small gear only at the time the narrowing 
is done; while the crank wheel is connected with the large 
spur gear 3 and turning only while the knitting parts are in 
operation. The connection between the crank wheel 5 and the 
gear 3 is simply a key-like lever which may be disconnected 
by lifting out of place and connected again by dropping back, 
though there is only one place on the circumference of the 
wheel where it can connect the two together. 



Control of Fashioning Mechanism 



The method of starting and stopping the narrowing or 
fashioning mechanism is quite a novel and ingenious arrange- 
ment. To explain it we will refer to Fig. 81. The number 4 
indicates the bevel gear shown at 4 in Fig. 75, and 4-a is the 
small pinion a part of v/hich may be seen in Fig. 75. The 
larger bevel gear 4 has a small space (three or four teeth) cut 
away so it acts somewhat on the principle of 
an intermittent gear. When the small pinion 
4-a comes to this spot the large gear 4 will of 
course stop. This gear is mounted on the 
shaft 9, which may be seen under the same 
designation in Figs. 79 and 80, which is a 
continuation of this shaft. It (the gear 4) is 
shown in Fig. 81 in the position where it 
would be at rest as the small pinion 4-a would 
be turning free and clear on account of the 
teeth of the large gear being cut away at 
this point. 

It will be noted that there is a pin extend- 
ing from one side of the hub of the small 
pinion gear 4-a. On the back of gear 4 there 
is attached a box-like arrangement with the 
lever 4-5 passing through it, which is pivoted 
at p and is held out in the position shown by 
a spring. Outside and near the outer end of 
this lever 4-6 is another L-shaped lever 4-d, which is pivoted 
at m to the frame of the machine. 



d 



/' 



n 



^ ng.yc. 



Needles and Decker 
Points Used on the 
Automatic Narrow- 
ing- Machine. 



AUTOMATIC NARROWING MACHINE 



117 



It is plain that when the lever 4-5 is moved in the path of 
the pin 4-c, w^hich is turning at all times with the pinion 4-a, by 
the right-angled lever 4:-d, the gear 4 will be moved forward far 
enough for the teeth of the pinion to engage with the teeth of 
the large gear. Consequently, the gear 4 would turn one 
complete revolution, or until the place which has the teeth cut 
out is again adjacent to the pinion, and it would stop at this 
point. This one revolution of the gear 4 completes the execu- 
tion of one narrowing operation or the narrowing down of one 
needle on each needle plate. 




Top of Automatic Narrowing Machine. 

Referring to Fig. 75, number 11 indicates the lever or slide 
which is the means provided to make the shift from fashioning 
to knitting, and vice versa. When this slide is at its further- 
most position toward the back of the machine it is held there 
by a catch, and the knitting mechanism would be in operation 
while the fashioning mechanism would be at rest. But imme- 
diately the slide is released from the catch, which is done by 
a stud on the chain 12, a spring brings it forward and a 
release bar, by means of an inclined plane, is set to disconnect 
the large gear 3 (Fig. 75) from the crank wheel 5, when it 
gets to the point where the carriages are at the extreme right 
end of the needle plates as shown in Figs. 77 and 78. At the 



118 FLAT MACHINE KNITTING AND FABRICS 

same time it raises up the right-angled lever 4-rf (Fig. 81) 
which throws in the lever 4-b, and this of course starts the 
fashioning mechanism to work. Just as the gear 4 with the 
cam shaft 9 completes its one revolution the slide is set back 
again, which permits the gear 3 to connect with the crank 
shaft and the gear 4 stops as the cut out teeth come opposite 
the small pinion. 

The several vertical straps which may be seen at or near 
the center of Fig. 75 are the mediums through which the 
automatic changes are made by studs coming under and raising 
them. These studs are attached in their several positions on 
the chain 12. We will not go into these further, for while the 
construction is somewhat different from what we have had, 
the principle is the same. As the studs on the chain come 
under the straps, they raise them up and this moves a stop in 
the path of the different slides which changes the locks, yarn 
carriers, etc. 

The Actual Narrowing Operation 

It will be remembered that in narrowing by hand there 
were three lines of movement of the decker or narrowing 
comb. But lines of movement should not be confused with 
direction of movement. An object may be moved in one line, 
but if moved back and forth on that line it would move in two 
directions. 

The three lines of movement are as follows : First, it is 
moved in a line parallel with an extension of the line of a 
needle lengthwise, or same as the arrows 1 and 2 in Fig. 82. 
We would move it on this line, and in the direction of arrow 1 
to bring the openings in the point of the decker directly over 
or above the hooks of the needles. Second, it would be moved 
up and down at right angles to its first movement, and in the 
direction indicated by arrow 4 to place the openings in the 
decker points on the hooks of the needles. With the hooks 
of the needles caught in these openings the decker would move 
again on its first line, and in the direction indicated by arrow 2 
to the point where the latches are above the loops. Then the 
deckers push the needles down on the same line, but in the 
direction indicated by arrow 1 to the point where the loops 
on the needles will close the latches and drop over the hooks 
on to the decker points. Then the points raise up with the 



AUTOMATIC NARROWING MACHINE 



119 



loops on them, on the second line again, but in the direction 
indicated by arrow 3, to clear the needle hooks. 

Now we have the third line of movement, which is in 
toward the other end of the needle plate, as indicated by 
arrow 5, the distance of one needle space carrying the loops 
on the decker points. Then they move down on the second 
line in the direction indicated by arrow 4, catch the needle 
hooks in the openings of the decker points, draw back on first 
line, direction of arrow 2 to the point where the loops will 
slip off the decker points on to the needles again. The decker 




Front of Automatic Narrowing Machine. 



then raises up and retires to its point of rest. This will leave 
one empty needle at the end, which is drawn down out of 
working position by means which will be explained later. 

The knitting mechanism is now started in operation, and 
after putting on the proper number of rounds it stops and 
the narrowing proceeds as before. If this explanation of the 
movements of the decker has been followed carefully by the 
reader, he will see that there are but three lines of movement 
in the whole narrowing operation proper, though on two of 



120 FLAT MACHINE KNITTING AND FABRICS 

these lines the movement is in opposite directions at different 
times. To do this automatically only three sources must be 
provided for the several movements, as the opposite direction 
of movements on the same lines come as a matter of course, 
otherwise there could be but one movement in any direction 
on one line. 




Back of Automatic Narrowing Machine Showing Shaft Carrying Cams for 
Automatic Moveinents. View from Right End of Machine. 



The source of all of these movements is the shaft upon 
which the bevel gear (Figs. 75 and 81) is mounted and is 
designated by the number 9 in Figs. 75, 79 and 80. It may be 
plainly seen in the illustrations with its irregular surfaced 
cams which perform this work. 

Figs. 79 and 80 are views of the back of the machine, both 
showing the same parts, but Fig. 79 is a view looking from 
the right end, or end upon which the driving mechanism is 
mounted, while Fig. 80 is a view from the other or left end 
looking toward the driving wheel. 




Pig. 80. — Showing Hit- 



Jame Cam Shaft as Shown in Fi^ 
End of the Machine. 



ro but from Left 



122 FLAT MACHINE KNITTING AND FABRICS 



Mounting of the Deckers 

We will take up the manner of mounting the deckers and 
the auxiliary parts through the medium of which the narrowing 
is done. Referring to Fig. 77, the decker points may be seen 
at a, a, mounted in a clamp in much the same manner as the 
hand deckers were mounted. The decker points, however, are 
somewhat different from those used in the hand decker, these 
latter being solid, either flat or round, while those on the 
automatic machine are half-round or U-shaped, as shown in 
Fig. 76, to facilitate placing them on the hooks of the needles. 

Before proceeding any further, it should be understood 
that the narrowing is done on both sets of needles, front and 




Gear Arrangement for Starting and Stopping tlie Narrowing Mechanism. 



back, by two separate deckers, therefore most of the parts 
connected with this operation that are shown and described, 
except the cam shaft 9 and its appurtenances, are in duplicate 
on front and back of the machine. The decker point clamp 
is a part of a yoke which is clamped on the two rods h and c 
(Fig. 77) tight enough to permit no play, yet not so tight but 
that it will slide freely endwise on the two rods. There are 
four of these on each side, front and back, or two for each 



AUTOMATIC NARROWING MACHINE 123 

independent pair of plates and locks. The rods b and c run 
the whole length of the machine and have no end movement, 
but b is free to move up and down vertically, while c acts 
simply as a rocker shaft or pivot upon which to swing the 
rod b, together with the clamp and decker a. The rod c is 
mounted through and near the end of. the arm d, which in its 
turn is mounted or pivoted on the rocker shaft 13, Fig. 78, 
where the whole arm may be noted. In Fig. 73 the whole 
five arms that are on the front of the machine may be seen. 
These arms are connected with a lever beneath the needle 
plates and frame by two flexible straps shown at /, Fig. 77, 
The lever to which the other end of these straps are attached 
may be seen at 1, Fig. 80, also the extension of the arm d, at rf-1. 
The spring which is attached to this extension with the other 
end attached to a like extension on the opposite arm d, is 
shown at d-2. This spring provides the energy to return the 
arms to, and hold them in the position shown in Fig. 77, after 
the narrowing operatioin is completed. 

To get the endwise movement of the decker, or the move- 
ment we have designated as 1 and 2 in Fig. 82, we will refer 
again to Fig. 80 and the lever 1. This lever is pivoted on the 
shaft 12 and passes under the shaft 9. At the point where it 
passes under to one side of the irregular cam d-3 there is 
a stud with a roller projecting from one side which comes under 
and in contact with the cam d-S. We have seen that there 
is always an upward pull on this lever 1 through the springs 
d-2, and the extension d-1, the arm proper d, and the straps / 
(Fig. 77), back down through the center of the machine to the 
inner end of lever 1, Fig. 80. 

Now it follows, that if the periphery of this cam d-S is 
irregular, and the spring d-2 always holds the pin with the 
roller on the side of lever 1, in close contact with the outside 
of this cam, then by having the periphery vary, or at different 
distances from the center at different points, the deckers may 
be moved to any point or held at any point in a line lengthwise 
with the decker points by making the irregularities at the 
proper place and at the proper distance from the center. 

The explanation of this movement applies to all of the 
automatic movements for narrowing or fashioning on this 
machine. Inasmuch as all these irregular cams for the different 
movements are mounted on this same shaft 9, after once being 




f'/a-sz. 



i 



Lines of Movement Necessary for Narrowing. 



AUTOMATIC NARROWING MACHINE 125 

set right they must always be in synchronism unless the setting 
is disturbed by accident. We have seen how the first move- 
ment is secured to bring the openings in the decker points 
down to a point directly over the needle hooks. We have 
assumed that they were in a line sidewise to begin with. Now 
we will see how the second movement, or bringing the deckers 
down on to the hooks of the needles after being moved directly 
over them, and lifting them off again, is accomplished. 



Second and Third Movements 

Referring to Fig. 77, it has been explained how the decker 
points with their clamp a and yoke are mounted on the rods 
b and c in such a manner that they will swing freely with 
the rod c acting as a pivot. Referring to Fig. 78, we find 
that the rods c and 5 have another yoke at /, which is attached 
securely to these rods, with a short extension toward the 
outside of the machine on which to attach the connection rod h. 

If we now turn to Fig. 79, we will find that the connection 
rod h comes down and is attached at the other end to a lever 
at j. While, as the reader may surmise, the connection rod h, 
Fig. 78, is on the front of the machine, and the rod h, Fig. 79, 
is on the back, the connections and manner of moving are the 
same. The lever to which this connection rod h (Fig. 79) is 
attached at j is mounted on the shaft 13, so as to swing up 
and down freely, and has an extension on the other side of 
the shaft from which there is another rod connecting it with 
the inside end of lever 2. 

This lever has the proper movements imparted to it through 
the pin and roller, which may be plainly seen, resting on the 
periphery of an irregular cam, just the same as has been 
explained for lever 1 for the first movement, except that the 
pin and roller rest on the top of the cam in this instance, 
while in the former case the pin and roller were held firmly 
up against the bottom of the cam by a coil spring. 

The third movement to carry the loops in toward the 
center one needle, designated in Fig. 82 as 5, is a straight 
line movement and always in one direction. But the movement 
as to distance must be more exact than either of the others, 
therefore while the source of the movement is the same as the 



126 FLAT MACHINE KNITTING AND FABRICS 

others, an irregular cam on the cam shaft 9, the transmission 
of it to the deckers is accomplished in an entirely different 
manner. 

Fine Adjustment Necessary 

We will refer again to Fig. 77, where we will find two long 
flat steel straps, one on each side of the machine, marked 
e and e. It will be noted that these straps are attached 
securely to the yokes that carry the deckers, as well as to the 
crossheads or bridges marked I and yyi. Reaching across from 
one to the other and attached to these bridges is a yoke the 
two arms of which are indicated by k and k. These two arms 
come together at the center in a hub through which runs the 
worm or screw indicated by g. 

On the outer end of this worm is a small spur gear which 
meshes into the gear h. Back of the gear h is a ratchet gear, 
and both are rigidly attached to the small shaft and turn 
together. Now it is quite evident that if the ratchet and gear 
marked h are turned in the right direction, which would be 
the top toward the right, this would turn the worm, which 
would move the yoke k and k, together with the bridges I and m, 
also the straps e and e, and they, of course, would move the 
deckers. The principle of the worm or screw used to make 
this movement permits an almost micrometer adjustment of 
the distance moved. 

To find the method used to turn the ratchet gear and spur 
gear h, we will refer again to Fig. 75, where the ratchet 
gear is marked u and its pawl ii. This will hardly need an 
explanation, as the method of working may be plainly seen 
by following out the pawl lever to the connection rod .t, and 
down to the lever 8, which is raised the proper distance at 
just the proper time by the cam directly under it, and in this 
manner turns the ratchet. 

In narrowing, when it comes to the point where the decker 
is to be placed on the needle hooks, it is imperative that the 
latches of those needles on which the transferring is to be 
done are all open, otherwise the decker will not catch the hook. 
Also after narrowing down one needle, the empty needle must 
be drawn down out of the operating position. The manner of 
doing this is as follows : The needles used in this machine 



AUTOMATIC NARROWING MACHINE 127 

have an extension of the shank, and on the lower end of this 
there is another butt as shown at b, Fig. 76. This extra butt 
is there solely for the manipulation of the needles for this 
purpose. Just before the decker is ready to drop on to the 
needle hooks, the needles are pushed up part way to meet 
it by the hoe-shaped part designated by the letter o in Fig. 78. 
This hoe is attached to the block p, which in its turn is 
attached to the long steel strap 17, then the whole is mounted 
on a slide directly beneath the strap upon which it may slide 
lengthwise of the machine. 

The slide is attached to the connecting strap 19, the other 
end of which is attached to the lever 20, therefore the hoe o 
and the block p may be moved lengthwise of the machine by 
the strap 17, and the whole, including the slide beneath and 
the connecting strap 19, may be moved up and down on a 
line with the movement of the needles by swinging the lever 
20, which is pivoted on the rod 18. As the deckers make their 
first movement down to align the openings over the needle 
hooks, the hoe o is moved upward by the lever 20, and, 
inasmuch as it is directly under and contiguous to the lower 
butts of the needles, it will push those needles up ahead of it to 
the point where the loops will open and lie across the latches, 
thus leaving the needle hooks free to receive the deckers. The 
hoe then retires while the deckers push the needles down, but 
is used a number of times in the same manner to assist the 
deckers in the manipulation of the needles during the narrow- 
ing operation. In the meantime it is moved over toward the 
center of the machine at the same time the deckers are, as it 
also is connected with the yoke k and k, Fig. 77. 

As the deckers are finishing their part of the work, the hoe 
is moved upward again and a hooked finger, which lies just at 
the right and is almost wholly concealed by the hoe, hooks over 
the empty needle butt and draws the needle down out of the 
operating position as the hoe retires to the position shown. 

The fabric photograph shown in Fig. 74 is part of a storm 
collar made for a Shaker sweater. The wide part is that part 
of the collar that covers from the top of the shoulder down to 
where the narrowing stops at the center of the breast. The 
narrow strip is a part of the border on the front opening upon 
which is placed the buttons and button-holes. It is narrowed 
down five needles, with four rounds between in the first part. 



128 FLAT MACHINE KNITTING AND FABRICS 

while the last part has nine narrowings with one round 
between. 

On this machine, while the narrowing is all automatic, 
after each garment or part is finished it is necessary to reset 
the machine by hand, that is, push up those needles that have 
been narrowed down, move the deckers and hoe back to the 
starting point by turning the crank i, Fig. 77, then move the 
carriages across and put in either a comb, or a hook made 
specially for this purpose, to hold down the stitches on the 
needles just pushed up into working position. Letter j indicates 
the yarn leading into the yarn carrier. The numbers 15 in 
Figs. 79 and 80 indicate the board or stand upon which the 
yarn is placed for use in the machine. 



i 



i 



CHAPTER XII. 

The Flat Jacquard Machine — How It Differs From the 
Purl Stitch Jacquard Machine — Type of Fabric 
Produced — Methods of Needle Selection — 
Difference Between Single Jacquard 
AND Double Jacquard — Explana- 
tion OF Design and Pattern 
Cards 

SO far as the knitting mechanism is concerned!, the flat 
jacquard machine is designed and constructed along the 
same lines as the ordinary flat machine, with the card 
cylinder for cards and the other necessary appurtenances 
added. Fig. 83 is a general view of a Dubied jacquard 
machine, which is semi-automatic but operated by hand. This 
illustration and the other photographs for this chapter were 
secured through the courtesy of D. Nusbaum & Co. 

The card cylinder and cards are practically the same as 
used on the purl stitch machine and explained in a former 
chapter, but obviously the application must be somewhat 
different owing to the different construction and manner of 
operating the needles in this machine. Inasmuch as there are 
two sets of needles opposed one to the other, and each set 
forms the stitches which show on their respective sides of the 
fabric, it is possible and customary to make the designs in 
solid colors, differing in this respect from the links and links or 
purl stitch machine. 

The jacquard designed fabrics are usually made in what 
would, on an ordinary machine, be the one and one rib or plain 
stitch. The tuck or cardigan stitch is not resorted to to bring 
out the design as in some other systems. Strictly speaking, 
however, the stitch is not what could properly be called a rib 
stitch, but is a combination of a plain rib and jersey stitch 
when made on the single jacquard, and is almost wholly of 
the jersey stitch construction when made on the double jacquard 
where the design is brought out on both sides of the fabric. 
The single jacquard is so called when the jacquard arrange- 




i 



132 FLAT MACHINE KNITTING AND FABRICS 

ment is on one plate only, usually the back one. The double 
jacquard machine is one which has the jacquard attachment 
on both the front and back plates. With the single jacquard 
the design can be brought out on one side of the fabric only, 
while with the double jacquard the design may be brought 
out on both sides of the fabric, but the colors would be 
reversed. 

Type of Fabric Produced 

Before going into the mechanical construction of the attach- 
ment we will to some extent analyze the fabric to find out 
what must be done to produce it. Referring to Fig. 87, which is 
a photographic reproduction of a fabric made on the machine 
under discussion, it will be noted that both the design and the 
ground are in solid colors. The rectangular figures which might 
be called the design are in solid black, while the squares, both 
the large ones and the small ones, which would be the ground, 
are solid white. It should be understood that there are two 
yarn carriers used in making this fabric, one for the white 
yarn and one for the black, and that these carriers are changed 
every round ; that is, one round of white, and one round of 
black, alternating throughout the fabric. 

Now inasmuch as we know that the fabric is made in the 
plain stitch, it is quite obvious that in order to make this 
design means must be provided to permit only those needles 
to knit which are making the white ground on any course in 
which the carrier with the white yarn is being used. Similarly 
only those needles making the black design must be permitted 
to knit on the course in which the carrier with the black yarn 
is used. The needles or wales, of course, run vertically in the 
fabric, while the rectangular design is diagonal, therefore it 
is plain that the number of needles or their relative positions 
must be changed each course. 

In this fabric the design is brought out on one side only, 
the back plate, and the needles on the opposite side or front 
plate are knitting each time the carriage is moved across the 
machine as explained in detail later. This may be plainly 
seen in Fig. 87, where the corner is turned over to show the 
back of the fabric. 

Now to find the method of selecting the proper needles at 
the proper time we will refer first to Fig. 86, which is a 



134 FLAT MACHINE KNITTING AND FABRICS 

photographic reproduction of the cam system used in this 
machine ; also to Fig. 90, which is a drawing of a cross section 
of the needle plates. It will be noted in Fig. 90 that there 
are two separate needle plates. The top one is for the needles 
proper, while the lower one is for the auxiliary needles. 

These two plates are in perfect alignment, both as to the 
surface and the needle tricks or slots. In the double jacquard 
the front plate would be in two parts and a duplicate of the 
back plate, but in the single jacquard the front side would 
have what is the upper plate on the back side only, and would 
use the short needles as shown at b, Fig. 89. 




i 



Construction and Arrangement of Cams and Locks in Dubied Jacquard 

Machine. 



The Cam System 



Referring now to the cam system shown in Fig. 86, it will 
be noted that while in general appearance the upper and 
lower set of locks are similar, the wing or stitch cam I and m 
are not only different in shape from the lower wing cams / and 
g, but they are set differently in their relation to the V or rise 
cams a and c. 

The cams as shown are set in the proper position to make 
jacquard or design work. The upper rise cams c, d and e are 



JACQUARD MACHINES 



135 



drawn up into the plate out of working position, therefore 
those needles selected to operate on any .course must be raised 
by the lower rise cams a and b. The upper lock operates on 
the butts of the needles proper shown at b, Fig. 90, while the 
lower lock operates upon the auxiliary needles shown at a in 
the same illustration. Now, then it is plain that the needles 
proper will not be raised up, therefore cannot draw new loops 
or knit unless they are raised by the auxiliary needles a, Fig. 
90, which in their turn are raised by the cams a and b, Fig. 86. 
But it should be noted that the auxiliary needles are drawn 
down below the point of the rise cams a on each course, as 
the wing cams / and g extend below these corners, therefore, on 
every course, unless one of the wing cams / or ^ is drawn up 
into the cam plate out of working position, all of the auxiliary 
needles are drawn down out of working position and will not 
operate on the next succeeding course unless put into working 
position by other means. 

These wing cams / and g 
are chamfered off on the out- 
side, so that any auxiliary 
needles pushed up above the 
lower end and into operating 
position will slide under and 
raise them up into the cam 
plate. The inner edge is a 
square corner consequently will, 
upon coming in contact with the 
needle butts, draw them down 
out of the working position. 
The auxiliary needles being a 
separate unit have no effect on 
the needles proper on their 
downward movement, but must, 
of course, raise them on the 
!^4i|k);l,j]^lfe'i« upward movement by coming in 

" contact with the lower ends. 

Those of the needles proper 
that are moved up into work 
are brought down again and form new loops by the stitch cams 
I and 7n, Fig. 86. The small triangular cams j and k are for 
clearing the needles when a very short stitch is being drawn 
by the stitch cams / and m. 




Fabric Design Made on a Jacquard 
Machine. 



136 FLAT MACHINE KNITTING AND FABRICS 



How Needles Are Selected 

Now to show how the needles are selected we will first 
refer to Fig. 89, which shows the needle proper at b and the 
auxiliary needle at a. The auxiliary needle has a joint in it 
as shown at h to permit the lower end e to swing to the position 
shown by the dotted line /. 

Fig. 90 shows the auxiliary needles in position with the 
card cylinder and cards in place ready to push them up into 
operation. Those needles which it is desired not to operate 
at all, such as the needles at the end of the plate that may 
not be needed, are drawn down and the ends are turned down 
to the point where they are at right angles to the plate, as 
shown by the dotted line at i. When they are in this position 
the cards cannot of course push them up into operating position. 
The short nib that looks like a part of a needle, indicated at /, 
and the card cylinder shown at g are not a part of the mechan- 
ism under consideration, but are another method of needle 
selection which will be explained later. 

Fig. 84 is a general view of 
the back of the machine show- 
ing a set of cards on the card 
cylinder ready for work. Fig, 
85 shows the mechanism used 
to bring the cylinder with the 
cards into action. The cards 
and cylinder need no distinguish- 
ing mark as they should be 
easily recognized from what 
has gone before. The same 
thing applies to the auxiliary 
needles just above, part of which 
are turned down to the point 
where they cannot be put into 
operation. 

Letter j indicates the end of 
the shaft upon which the card 

cylinder is mounted, and c is the elongated opening in which 
it moves up and down. This opening is on the same diagonal 
plane as the needle plates and has its duplicate at the other 
end which carries the other end of the card cylinder. The 
rocker shaft d is mounted just under the card cylinder and 



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Fig-. 88. — o-Black; x-White. 
Designs Shown in Fig-. 87 Layed Out 
on Cross Section Paper for 
Cutting Cards. 



JACQUARD MACHINES 137 

has two levers securely attached, the other ends of which are 
connected to the card cylinder shaft, one at either end. On 
the outer end of the rocker shaft d is another lever indicated 
by the letter e. This is connected to the camway h through 
the extension k. This camway is mounted in such a manner 
that it can be moved only in one direction, and that direction 
is up and down diagonally or on the same plane as the back 
needle plates. 

As the carriage reaches the extreme end of its travel the 
pin g, which is attached to the carriage, enters and follows the 
camway. Inasmuch as the cams are set on an incline this pin 
or plunger must raise the camway together with the end of 
the lever e. Through the rocker shaft d and the two levers 
before mentioned as connecting the rocker shaft with the card 
cylinder, this will bring the card cylinder up to the lower edge 
of the auxiliary needle plate. This action will of course push 
all those needles into action that come in contact with the 
particular card that may be on that side of the card cylinder at 
the time. Where the openings are cut in this card the needles 
will pass through and have no contact, therefore will not be 
pushed up into working position. 

As the card cylinder returns to its lowest position it is 
turned a quarter turn by the stationary hooked dog a, which 
catches a tooth, of which there are four, of a ratchet wheel 
which is also securely attached to the card cylinder shaft. In 
this way the card cylinder is turned a quarter turn each time 
it is moved up to the auxiliary plate, which brings a new 
card into position to make another selection of needles for the 
next course. 

Letter / indicates a counterweight which, as will be noted, 
is attached to the rocker shaft d to assist in returning the card 
cylinder to its lowest position and hold it there after its 
return. Letter i indicates an ordinary pattern chain on which 
the proper studs are attached to change the yarn carriers auto- 
matically. 

Three Units May Be Racked 

In this type of jacquard machine there are three separate 
and distinct units which may be racked or moved at right 
angles to the movement of the needles. They are, first, the 



138 FLAT MACHINE KNITTING AND FABRICS 

needle plate proper which racks the same as the ordinary flat 
machine ; second, the auxiliary needle plate ; and third, the card 

cylinder together with the cards. 
The racking of the needle plate 
proper is necessary to make 
those designs in which a rack in 
the fabric is required, but the 
other two are chiefly a matter 
of convenience to save making 
up cards. There are many de- 
signs that may be made with 
one or four cards, or even with- 
out any cards, by manipulation 
of these racking movements, 
where otherwise quite a string 
of cards would be required. 

We will take for example 
any design consisting of a small 
block or check within the limits 
of the needles the auxiliary 
plate will rack over. Such a 
design may be made without 
cards in this way. Say we wish 
to make a black and white 
check four needles wide and 
four courses high. We would 
put up into operating position four auxiliary needles and draw 
four down, alternating in this way with four up and four down 
for the width of the fabric. Then, referring to Fig. 86, we 
would draw up out of operating position as shown the rise 
cams c, d and e, also the wing cams / and g. This would 
permit the alternating four auxiliary needles we have left in 
operating position to always stay in this position. Now, after 
putting on one round or two courses of, let us say, white we 
would rack the auxiliary plate over four needles and then put 
on a round of black; rack back the four needles and put on a 
round of white, rack the other way four needles and put on a 
round of black. If we could see the fabric made thus far we 
would find that we had a row of blocks or checks four needles 
wide and four courses high. For although we have put on 
four courses each of the black and white, which makes eight 
courses in all, each color has been put on its own group of 




n^. 89 



d 



Needles Proper and Auxiliary Needles 
Used in Jacquard Machine. 



JACQUARD MACHINES 



139 



four needles; therefore the whole will build up the fabric but 
four courses. If we continued to operate the machine in the 
same manner we would get alternate black and white stripes, 
each four needles wide. 

To break them up into checks or squares we would at this 
point have to either skip racking once while continuing the 
change of carriers each round, or miss changing carriers once 
while continuing the rack of four needles each round. This 
change must of course be made every four rounds throughout 
the length of the fabric, or as long as it is desired to make the 
check. It should be remembered that it is the auxiliary plate 
that is racked in this case, and not the needles proper; there- 
fore the rack does not show in the fabric. But the shifting 
of these alternate sets of four auxiliary needles each round 
causes alternate groups of four of the needles proper to knit, 
the set which knits depending on which way the auxiliary plate 
is racked. 

This same check design may be made with one card 
properly cut by preventing the card cylinder from turning and 
racking, or moving the card cylinder back and forth four 
needles in the same manner as the auxiliary plate was moved. 
Or it may be made with four cards without moving either the 
plate or card cylinder. In this case it would be necessary to 
use all the auxiliary needles and lower the wing cams / and g, 
Fig. 86, into action. 

In making a fabric on a 
double jacquard machine which 
shows the design on one side 
only, it is good practice to put 
four cards on the front cylinder 
properly cut to put alternate 
needles into operation on alter- 
nate courses, in order to prevent 
putting more courses on the 
front plate than on the back. 
Or to explain it in another way, 
the needle in the back plate that 
makes the white part of the 
design knit only on the rounds 
on which the white thread car- 
rier is used, and the needles that make the black parts oper- 
ate only when the carrier with the black yarn is in use. 




Cross Section of Needle Plates and 
Card Cylinder. 



140 FLAT MACHINE KNITTING AND FABRICS 

Now it is plain that if all the needles in the front plate are 
permitted to knit each round we would have approximately 
twice as many courses on the front as on the back. This is 
obviated, as stated before, by using cards on the front card 
cylinder to push up into operation every alternate needle when 
moving the carriage say from left to right, and permitting 
these to remain idle and pushing those not operated on this 
course into operation on the return course from right to left. 
While this is desirable it is not essential, for it cannot be done 
on a single jacquard, though there are many nice designs and 
fabrics made on this machine. 



Explanation of Pattern 

Fig. 87 shows a fabric made on a double jacquard machine 
Avith both card cylinders in operation. Before going any 
further it should be understood that both the front and back 
card cylinders can be operated and make a new selection of 
needles at the end of each course, or when the carriage is at 
the end of its travel at both ends of the machine. This design 
is made by operating the card cylinders in this way. Fig. 88 
is a layout of the design shown in Fig. 87. It is one complete 
repeat of the design as shown by the square box in Fig. 87. 
All the rest of the fabric is simply a repetition of this, but 
when grouped together on a large piece of fabric they appear 
entirely different. 

As may be seen in Fig. 88, it would take 36 cards to make 
this design. In cutting the cards for this we would cut out 
the places shown blank and leave the card whole to push the 
needles into operation in the places marked by an x or an o. 
This cutting would of course have to be repeated the width 
of the fabric, or the length of each card. 

The principle as explained is used on all makes of flat 
jacquard knitting machines, but the method used to put the 
needles into operation by the cards differs with the different 
builders. For example, one popular method is shown in Fig. 
90, where the card cylinder is placed directly below the under 
surface of the auxiliary plate as shown at g, and acts on a 
short nib with the butt turned downward and extending through 
the plate as shown at /. With this method it is customary to 
use a long needle with two butts as shown in Fig. 89 at /, 



JACQUARD MACHINES 141 

instead of the short one with an auxiliary needle. Also with 
this method the needle plate would be a single wide plate with 
the tricks or needle slots cut gradually deeper as they reached 
the lower edge, so that at the point where the lower butts 
of the needles come the trick is deep enough so that the needle 
may be depressed to bring the top of the lower butts flush, or 
just below, the top surface of the needle plate. When operating 
the machine these butts always remain in this position, there- 
fore will not knit unless raised up and put into operation by 
the cards. 

If we should cut a set of cards just the reverse of the set 
laid out in Fig. 88, that is, cut out where these are not, and 
leave uncut where these are cut, and put this set on the front 
card cylinder and operate them in conjunction with and 
opposite to the back set, we would have the same design on 
both sides of the fabric, but the colors would be reversed. 



INDEX 

A 

-^ PAGE 

Automatic Control 60, 67 

Automatic Drop Locks 30 

Automatic Drop V Cams 31 

Automatic Jacquard, Purl Stitch Machine 100 

Automatic Narrowing or Fashioning Machine 113 

Automatic Single Lock Machine : 57 

Automatic Widening Machine 78 

B 

Bridge 59 

Bridges 91, 126 

c 

Cams 18, 31, 115 

Cams, Difference Between Dubied and Lamb System 49 

Cam, Explanation of 18 

Cams, Guard 49 

Cam Plate 32 

Cams, Purl Stitch Machine 90, 103 

Cam, Racking 38 

Cams, Stitch 74 

Cam System, Jacquard 134 

Cams, V 31 

Cams, Widening Machine 81 

Cams, Wing • 135 

Carriage 18 

Carriage, Purl Stitch Machine 90, 96 

Cardigan, Half 29 

Cardigan, Full 29 

Cardigan, Half, How Made 30,47 

Cardigan, Full, How Made 33, 48 

Cards . 106, 129, 136 

Card Cylinder 106, 129, 136 

Cards, to Cut HO, 140 

Changing the Stitch 63, 74, 96, 103 

Changing Yarn Carriers 64, 73, 75, 96 

Claes & Flentje Machine 113 

Counter 59, 89 

Counting Cylinder 67 

Counting Cylinder Stops AA" :^ ^r 

Cotton-back 29, 46, 75 

Cotton-back Sweater 44, 48 

Collar, Shaped 40 

Comb, Narrowing ^1 

Comb, Set up • • • • ; ^ ^2 

Chain Drive 45, 57, 100 

Chain, Controlling ^1'%^ 

Chain, Racking 59, 64 

Chain, Pattern ^^ 

Course ^0 

Control of Yarn ^0 



Crank 
Crank Drive 



57 
45 



Crosswise of the Fabric 10 

Crochet Stitch }i 



Crochet Fabric 



13 



144 INDEX 

PAGE 

Cut Pressers 29 

Cylinder or Drum, Counting 67, 100 

Cylinder Divisions 68 

Cylinder Stops 69 

Cylinder, to Stop 70 

Cylinder for Jacquard System 103- 

Cylinder, Card 106, 136 

D 

Decker 51, 122 

Design Work 33, 35 

Designs, Racked 42 

Designs, Purl Stitch Machine 96, 97, 100. 

Designs, Basket Weave 97 

Designs, Diagonal Diamond 99 

Designing, Jacquard System 106, 109 

Designs, Jacquard Rib 129 

Designs, Laying Out 109 

Designs Without Cards 138 

Designed Fabric 140 

Diagonal Stitch 40 

Double Lock 46, 73 

Double Lock Machine 44, 46 

Double Jacquard 132, 140 

Drive, Crank 45 

Drive, Chain 45 

Drop Stitch 22 

Drop Locks 30 

Drum See Cylinder 

Dubied Machine 46, 57, 78, 88 

E 

Elasticity in Knit Fabrics 15 

Elasticity of Rib Fabrics 26 

F 

Fabric, Rib 10 

Fabric, Jersey 10 

Fabric, Flat 10 

Fabric, Crochet 13 

Fabric, Tubular 24 

Fabric, Face 33 

Fabric, Two-Faced 44, 46 

Fabric, Tension 85 

Fabric, Jacquard 132 

Fabric, Designed See Designs 

False Knop 63, 74 

Fancy Stitches See Designs 

Fashioned Goods 51 

Fashioning a Sleeve 53, 78 

Fashioning Machine, Automatic 78, 113 

Fibers, Resiliency of 15 

Fingers 69, 127 

Flat Fabrics 23 

Flat Goods 10,26 

Frame 31 

French Rack 63, 74 

Full Cardigan 29 

Full Cardigan, How Made 33, 48 



INDEX 145 



G PAGE 

Gib 18 

Guards 95 

H 

Hand Knitting 12 

Half Cardigan 29 

Half Cardigan, How Made 30, 82, 47 

Hoe 127 

I 

Invention of Knitting Machine 9, 16, 17 

J 

Jacks 20, 86, 105 

Jacks, Hump or Head 93 

Jacks, Clutch 94 

Jacquard 29 

Jacquard Purl Stitch Machine 100 

Jacquard System 106 

Jacquard Machine, Flat 129 

Jacquard, Rib Designs 129 

Jacquard, Single 129, 140 

Jacquard, Double 132, 140 

Jacquard Fabric 132 

Jersey Fabric 10, 23, 74 

Jersey Fabric, Range of 25 

Jersey Stitch, Purl Stitch Machine 96 

K 

Knitting Machine, Invention of 9, 16, 17 

Knitted Fabric 13 

Knitted Fabric, Construction of 9 

Knitting, Hand 12 

L 

Latch Needles 16 

Latch Needles, Invention of 17 

Latch Brush 22 

Latch Guards 95 

Latch Openers 103 

Lamb System , 30, 47 

Lengthwise of the Fabric 10 

Length of Fabric, Limits 10 

Levers, Changing 59 

Lineal Feet per Minute 45 

Links and Links Machine See Purl Stitch Machine 

Loop 10 

Loop, Study of 11 

Locks 30 

M 

Machine, Knitting, Invention of 9, 16, 17 

Machine Knitting, Difference from Hand 16 

Machine Speed 21, 45 

Machine, Double Lock 44, 46 

Machine, Single Lock 44, 57 

Machine, Automatic Widening 78 



146 INDEX 

PAGE 

Machine, Automatic Narrowine: 113 

Machine, Purl Stitch 7 86 

Machine, Jacquard 100, 129 

N 

Narrowing Comb 51, 122 

Narrowing, How Done 53 

Narrowing Machine, Automatic 113 

Narrowing, Lines of Movement 118 

Needles, Hand 12 

Needles, Latch, Machine 16, 83, 180 

Needles, Auxiliary 135 

Needle Speed 21 

Needles, Purl Stitch 87 

Needles, Automatic Narrowing Machine 126 

Needles, Automatic Widening Machine 80, 83 

Needle Selection, Jacquard System 132, 136 

Needle Springs 20, 80, 83 

Needle Plates _.. 18, 31, 80, 86, 88, 105 

Needle Plates, Jacquard " 134 

P 

Pattern Wheels 29 

Pattern Chain 59 

Pawls, Racking 65 

Piping 43 

Plating 50 

Plating Yarn Carrier 50, 111 

Production 44 

Purl Stitch Machine 86, 88 

Purl Stitch Fabric 87 

Purl Stitch Machine, Jacquard 100 

R 

Fvack Stitch 29, 35 

Rack Stitch, How Made 36 

Rack, French 63, 74 

Rack, Both Sides of Fabric 41 

Racked Collar 40 

Racking Chain 59, 64 

Racking Cam 38, 65 

Racking Mechanism 65 

Racking Pawls 65 

Racking Cam Ratchet 66 

Racking, Purl Stitch Machine 89 

Rib Fabric 10, 26, 27 

Rib Fabric, Elasticity of 26 

Rib Fabric, Varieties of 29 

Rib Stitch, 1 and 1, 2 and 2, etc 96 

Rib, 2 and 2, Purl Stitch Machine 98, 100 

Rules 97 

s 

Seams on Fashioned Work 54 

Selective System 33 

Selvedge Edge 41, 54, 72 

Set Up Comb 52 

Shaped Collar 40 

Shog or Shogged 36 

Speed 21, 45 



INDEX 147 

PAGE 

Springs, U-shaped Needle 20, 80 

Springs, Yarn Take-up '72 

Sprocket Roller 59 65 

Sinker Loop 10 

Single Lock Machine 44^ 57 

Single Jacquard 129, 140 

S'eeve, Fashioning 53 

Slots .'..'.'.{7,18 

Stops, Counting Cylinder 69 

Stops, Yarn Carrier 71^ 84 

Stitch .. . . 10 

Stitch Cams 74, 91, 103 

Stitch, Drop 22 

Stitch Pins 74 

Stitch, Rack 29, 35, 36, 41 

Stitch, Changing 63, 73, 74, 103 

Stitches on Purl Stitch Machine 96 

Striping 64 

Studs, Chain 60, 65 

Studs, Heights 63 

Studs, Tension 72 

T 

Take-up Roller 59 

Textile Fibers, Resiliency of 15 

Tension Stud 72 

Tension on Fabric 85 

Tension for Yarn Take-up Spring 72 

Tricks 17, 18, 105 

Tripping Finger 69 

Tubular Fabric 24, 26, 74 

Tubular Rib Fabric 26 

Tuck Stitch 29 

Tuck Stitch, How Made 30 

Two-faced Fabric 44, 46 

V 

V Cams 31 

W 

Wale 10, 30 

Weights 18, 52, 59, 80 

Widening Operation 55 

Widening Machine 78 

Width of Fabric, Needles Counted 54 

Width of Fabric, Limitation 10 

Work Hook 52, 55 

Y 

Yarn Carrier 21, 59, 70 

Yarn Carrier, Plating 50, 111 

Yarn Carrier, Changing 64, 73, 75, 96 

Yarn Carrier Stops 71, 84 

Yarn Control 70 

Yarn Take-up Spring 72 

Yoke 59, 126 

z 

Zig-Zag Stitch 29 

Zig-Zag Stitch, How Made 39 



ii 



D U B I E D 



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Flat Knitting Machines, 
Links and Links Machines, 

Hand and Full Automatic Power 



Built by Edward Dubied & Co. 
Neuchatel, Switzerland 




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E. O. SPINDLER 

139 Franklin St. Corner West Broadway New York City 

SOLR AGENTS FOR U. S. A. AND CANADA 



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and eliminate serious needle troubles 



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Standard styles carried in stoclc 
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Manchester 



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Philadelphia Office: 40 South Seventh Street, Rooms 304 and 305 



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